Sick Day
by SKU-7314977
Summary: Will misses his scheduled appointment and Hannibal visits Wolf Trap to see what's keeping his favorite not-patient from visiting his office. When he comes by Will's house expecting to find the assumed Beta curled in bed sick he's caught off guard by the thick musk of hormones attacking his olfactory telling him of an unexpected Omega in heat. Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
1. Chapter 1

Authors Notes: I wrote this story for a friend of mine. C: DarkmoonSigel, if you ever get the chance you should check out her work, everything she writes is really, really good.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal, wish I did, but I don't.

Beta read bySpocktacular!

01: Missed Appointments

_Sunday Morning_

The coolness of the river soaked through the thigh-high wading boots even though the water itself could not penetrate its thick rubber. In the late autumn weather, ice had already began to form on the quieter parts of the river that ran near Will's house and no number of layered wool socks was going to prevent his toes from numbing while standing in the half frozen river bed.

Despite the cold turning his toes to small feeingless pebbles and leaving his feet feeling as though they had fallen asleep, Will had managed to bring in two bass, their bodies lying still in a bucket on the river's edge. He didn't expect he would be catching too many more, the last few hours having been dedicated to standing still in the quietly rushing water just for the first pair. But still, he'd found the act soothing nonetheless.

Fishing was one of the only things that seemed to calm the Omega, that and his dogs. Flicking the line out across the fast moving water, feeling the wire fly through the feel and the lure quietly splash through the surface in search of fish, Will couldn't feel more at peace than he did then. Not that he could enjoy it nearly as much as he had only a few months before; finding the time to allow himself the luxury was becoming a more difficult task with each passing day, Jack milking every ounce of physical and mental strength from the empathy with more frequent cases.

Jack had pulled him from his quiet life of teaching and fishing to turn him into killers and force the blood of their victims upon him. Changing his only semi-regular habit of night terrors and heavy sweating to a near nightly occurrence; nightly when he did manage to sleep. He might not have had the most peaceful sleeps before he'd been pulled back into the field but at least he could still have the occasional easy night's rest. Now there was barley hope of receiving even a few measly hours.

Will knew that he could get away from it all if he really wanted to, there was more than one way for him to escape the minds of killers and blood, to retire himself from the FBI permanently. He could always quit, it was an option, though one that Jack was doing his damn best to make the empath avoid by guilting him with the knowledge that every death his 'skill set' could have prevented would forever rest on his shoulders. But the man could do nothing if he were to show his true gender.

Since his first awkward heat, a messy three days of puberty Will had tried his best to forget, he had been hiding his sex by way of illegally obtained heat suppressants and a bottle of cheap cologne mixed with Beta pheromones. Though Omega's rights had improved drastically since the days of ownership, Omega's all but being chained to their Alpha's bed not so many years ago, they were still unable to take any work relating to law enforcement or the military. Being primarily an Alpha's profession Omega's were seen as a liability and distraction in both fields, their presence frowned upon even in the less hostile environments of medicine and hospitality. Though their rights to work and provide for themselves were slowly growing, the idea of an Omega working was still looked down upon by most of society, the gender generally expected to become homemakers once a proper mate had been found.

If Will was ever discovered to be an Omega he would never be allowed out in the field again, something that might save his mental state in the long run, but riddle him with guilt in the knowledge of what he could have prevented if only he'd stayed in the field.

Which brought him to this: regular visits to a psychiatrist he had never wanted. Though if he were to be honest with himself Will would have to admit that of everyone he knew Hannibal was probably the only one who understood what it was like for him to live day in and day out with his particular cocktail of aspergers, autism, and an over-active imagination; taking two small bi-colored pills twice a day to keep himself from exposing his gender and only half enjoying his first weekend off in over a month, fishing and freezing to try and rest his bloodied mind, thanks to the more creative murderers of their time finally taking a break.

Ready to call it a day, Will grinned as first a tug and then a pull came to his line, stopping him from his retreat to battle another fish for it's right to life. Reeling and pulling he concentrated on the taught line playing tug-of-war. With numb feet Will tried to find better footing in the riverbed, the thick rubber soles of his boots sliding over a water grass covered rock, effectively dropping him into the icy river. Spluttering a curse as he pulled himself back to the surface, Will floundered to grab his rod before the current could take it away. Grinding his teeth at the loss of a fish and lure Will reeled in the empty string.

Grousing that he would have to hike back to his house soaking wet Will missed the small bottle of bicolored pills bobbing in the slow-moving river water as it disappeared downstream.

_Monday Afternoon_

It had been a long day, longer than most thanks to Franklyn's insistence to cover his table with dirty tissues; the notion of giving the neurotic man a referral quickly changing from temptation to necessity with each passing week. It was something Hannibal was loath to admit he was having more than a little difficulty with. Upon mentioning the idea of taking an additional patient to a number of colleagues in passing he had discovered that the man was infamous within the world of Psychology. The three members of his profession he had approached all politely declining the moment Franklyn's name had been presented.

If things continued the way they were he would be forced to kill the man just to be rid of him, though none of his remains would ever make it to Hannibal's fridge; the notion of putting any part of the irritant into his body left a sour taste on his tongue.

Franklyn, having never been a pleasantry to any part of Hannibal's day, was hardly a factor to ruining his afternoon. He was more than used to dealing with his nature and capable of brushing off the annoyance he brought with him. No, Franklyn would not be the ruin of his day; however, the absence of a certain Beta might. Will Graham was running fifteen minutes late for his scheduled appointment. Due for 7:30 and with a record of punctuality the Alpha more than appreciated, the sudden absence of the Beta left Hannibal feeling a little worried for his empath. He was, after all, the only interesting patient amongst his little flock of sheep.

Waiting another fifteen minutes to be sure that Will had, in fact, skipped his appointment and was not instead trapped somewhere in traffic, Hannibal pulled the mobile phone from his pocket and selected the name _William Graham_ from his contacts, allowing the string of numbers to dial.

It didn't even ring before going to voice mail. His phone was either dead, off, or out of a serviceable area. He could be at work, Hannibal mused, pulled by Jack to examine a case and being forced to turn off his cell phone while attempting to re-live a crime scene, though he had always called in the past whenever Jack pulled him away, rescheduling his appointment for a later hour the few occasions that had occurred. It was more likely that the man's phone had died, given his record for self-care Hannibal highly doubted that the man would take much care of his possessions, or he had forgotten about his appointment all together and had gone home, though the latter had also never occurred.

Troubled he tried Jack Crawford next, dialing the authoritative Alpha's number and receiving an answer upon the third ring.

"Jack Crawford." Came the clipped answer; it made Hannibal smile, telling him that the man was dealing with another difficult case.

"Good evening Jack," Hannibal said, the edge of his thin lips pulling at the corners in mirth at the man's irritation. It had been two days since his last kill, the police being slower in finding it than usual; he hoped it was his gift that had crawled under the man's skin. He wouldn't mind Will's absence if the empath was busy re-creating one of his own masterpieces during their allotted time. The idea of Will wondering the fields of his mind re-creating his art was exotic and beautiful in ways that made a heat swell in his loins he almost never felt. "Will did not show up for his appointment today, I was curious if perhaps you had him working on another case, something that might have his cell phone out of range."

"You won't be able to get him on his cell phone, he's in Wolf Trap." He sounded angry. "Will called in sick today, odd for him, he never looks good but he never calls in." And that would answer the man's irritated mood. They had most likely found the body and now could not get his favorite profiler out of bed to examine the case.

Pity, Hannibal thought. It had been designed so specifically for him. The face, hair, teeth, fingers, toes and eyes removed from the victim in question before being displayed. Dehumanized to a pig for the slaughter and left unidentifiable for Will to feel more separated from the victim and more connected to Hannibal. He wouldn't be able to get a feel for the woman who had been killed because there was nothing left of her to show will who she may have been before her death. If they ever wished to find the name of the poor deceased they would have to try and match her by DNA samples to any missing girl reports that came in. It would be a tedious and expensive task for the FBI to undertake and one that Hannibal was sure Jack would waste the time and energy on if only because they were a victim of the Chesapeake Ripper.

"Sick?" Hannibal himself was not sure how much of the concern in his voice was feigned for the officer on the other line. "Perhaps I will pay him a visit. He has not been in the best of health as of late, though I had not been expecting him to take a day for himself."

"I think that would be wise Doctor Lector, please, let me know how he's doing when you get back. He hasn't answered any of my calls and I have a difficult case I need him to look at." And there it was; the underlining need for Will.

"Is it the Ripper?"

"I think so, but I want Will to take a look before I say yes to anything, this one is a little different than the others, I need him to look at it, see if it's the Ripper or our Copy-Cat."

Because he'd never taken their faces before, never left such an intimate present for Will "I'll see what I can do, perhaps if he is feeling up to it, I can take him myself to the crime scene long enough for a profile before returning him home."

"That would be appreciated. I'll text you the address, let me know if he's up to the run, I'll meet you there if he is."

"Of course." Because what could possibly be better than witnessing Will's reaction to his _gift_.

During the long drive out to Wolf Trap Hannibal tried to think of what sickness could possibly prevent Will from answering his phone or coming to a case; the man having worked through hallucinations, nausea, sleep deprivation and a perpetual migraine for the last few months. It was a true mystery in itself, but one he would soon have the answer to.

Parking the expensive Bentley next to Will's older paint faded beater, Hannibal carefully gathered a container of homemade not-chicken noodle soup he'd only half-rushed before closing the car and knocking twice on the weathered front door. He was neither surprised nor insulted when Will did not come to answer. If he was in fact home sick, with his room most likely on the upper level, he would not be bothering to come downstairs and greet Hannibal any time soon. If he was not detoured by the knowledge of having to scale the stairs a second time in order to reclaim his bed then the notion of basic social interaction would most certainly keep him rooted to cotton sheets.

Knowing that the man would at least be aware of his presence, if only by the dogs, Hannibal let himself in; Will would certainly forgive his intrusion once he realized that he had only come looking for the Beta out of concern when he had made himself unreachable after skipping his appointment.

Hannibal only made it over the thrush before dropping the container of soup, the thick broth and chunks of vegetables and meat spilling across hard wood and carpet, splashing the edges of his trousers and shoes.

Hannibal had not been expecting this, had not prepared himself for the possibility of it.

He could feel his pulse quicken as the scent filled his lungs, knew his eyes were blown with lust though there was no mirror to be seen in the light-deprived house, could feel the tightening of his pants as he began to enter an unexpected rut.

Will was an Omega, a very potent, unbound Omega.

And he was in heat.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Notes: This chapter consists of sex.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

02: Claiming An Omega

Where were his pills? What the _hell _had he done with his pills?

Will tried to remember what he had been doing the Sunday afternoon he'd first noticed the little tinted container was missing; he tried to make his mind focus on something other than the liquid heat spilling down his thighs and fevered skin that cried for touch, but it was so hard to pull his mind away from the cries of his biology. Will hadn't experienced a heat in more than sixteen years and now after missing three doses his body seemed intent to try and make up for lost time. He'd never missed before, not once since starting, he'd gone so far as to double up if he was ever unsure.

And now?

"Damn-it!" Will cried, arching off the mattress as a wave of want surged through him. He needed relief, needed something, anything to take the edge off, if only just enough so he could think. Grinding his teeth, Will lifted a hesitant hand, "I hate you" he cursed himself, his voice sounding almost broken to his ears as he succumbed to his gender, feeling nothing but betrayal from his body as slender fingers traveled between his inner thighs to touch his soaking sex, the muscle spasming with the tentative contact.

The pills had only even been intended as a form of temporary relief from heat for Omega's undergoing stressful operations or medical treatments; they had never been meant for any long term use and as such had never been tested for the side effects that might come from prolonged or abused usage. No Alpha would ever allow their Omega to remain on such a thing for longer than needed and rarely did an Omega remain unbound into their late twenties, never mind thirties. There was simply no way Will could not have anticipated this.

A broken gasp escaped chapped lips as his finger slid into his entrance, the first and second knuckles pushing into his slick hole with ease, the ring of muscle contracting around the digit trying to encourage an organ that wasn't there to fill him. He tested the motion, pushing the finger in and out, the stimulation only enough to tickle the itch deep inside him, exasperating instead of relieving him of the sexual anxiety. He added another, the pair sliding into him as easy as the first, a pool of sweet-smelling slick coating his hand as his body tried to prepare an Alpha who was not there to claim him.

"Pills…" He tried to remember, biting his lip hard enough to split the skin Will tried to resist himself, hardly able to stop his hips as they jerked spasmodically to meet his fingers' thrusts. "Where did I put those pills." Deeper, he needed to get deeper, his instincts telling him that he needed something bigger, harder than the three fingers he was pushing in and out of his body to fill him to the core.

He needed to find something better than his hand, something bigger-

No! He needed to find his God-damn pills!

Arching once more into his own touch Will tried to think of why his dogs might be barking, they'd been whining at his bedroom door before, unable to understand why their master would close it when he'd never done such before, but that was hours ago and the barking was coming from downstairs.

He pushed inside himself again, closing his eyes as his fingers at last brushed against something that made little white lights dance behind his eyelids. He could barely reach it though; he would need _something_ in order to do it again, to push against it properly.

Something or _someone_.

Someone was at his door. That was why his dogs were barking, because someone had actually driven all the way to his little boat house in Wolf Trap and knocked on his door.

Maybe they could-

"NO!" Will wrenched his hand free, nearly whimpering at the sudden emptiness within him. He needed to stop himself, he couldn't afford to let himself go walking out of his house in search of the first Alpha willing to mount him. He'd fought too hard to keep his freedom for too long to throw it all away.

Biting his lip again Will tried to ground himself with the sharp pain of teeth breaking skin and the taste of copper that coated his tongue as he crawled across the bedroom floor to his dresser. "I will not give myself away." Will growled out, a shaky hand feeling the top of the wooden dresser until cool meta settled under his sticky finger tips.

All barking died as the dogs came to lap up Will's spoiled soup, the pack skirting around Hannibal's feet in their efforts to get a taste of the thick broth and tender meat scattered there. He could hear the ticking of their claws across the hardwood as they rushed for it, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the staircase knowing what would be up there.

He closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath.

It was intoxicating, rich and potent; robust, like a fine vintage wine.

This was not his first time being near an Omega during heat. Hannibal had been exposed to Omega's many times in his life both during his time as a sergeant and as a psychiatrist; even having endured the occasional attempts of Omega's and their keepers to seduce him in an attempt to force a bond.

An Omega might be able to force an Alpha into rut with the pheromones of their heat, but that did not mean that the Alpha would be weak-willed enough to succumb to such carnal desires if the Omega was not to their standings. Hannibal had always walked away from them before, leaving his mewling Omega suitors to suffer their affliction.

But this, Hannibal pulled in another heady breath, the ghost of Will's sweet slick fresh across his tongue; this was not just any Omega in heat, this was Will. This was _his_ Will. The only person capable of understanding who and what Hannibal was, and now he was an Omega.

Abandoning the spilled container where it laid Hannibal eased the door closed, slipping the lock into place should the Omega become flighty during his approach. He couldn't afford having the profiler take off, not when there was so much needed to be explored.

Hannibal had never allowed himself to succumb to his rut before, always careful to keep a certain amount of separation and control whenever he chose to lie with another, and never an Omega. There would never have been any point to it all before, whoever he chose to lie would never understand him and he would ultimately have to kill, bond or no.

But this would be different, Will would be different.

Thanks to his Empathy, he wouldn't have a choice.

Slipping off Italian leather shoes Hannibal made his way up the old stairs on silent feet. Will was the only one Hannibal feared capture from, with his unique ability it was only a matter of time before the empathy climbed the towers of his mind and peeked through the windows, whether he wished it or not.

If Hannibal was his Alpha, he paused at the top of the stairs savoring the intoxicating scent of Will's heat, Will would be forced by his own biology to obey him, unwilling to hurt or disappoint his Alpha. If Hannibal wished it, Will could be revealed to Jack and the FBI; effectively stopping the profilers work and whisking away their only chance to ever find a lead on him.

But if they were to bond and he allowed him to stay. Will would not be able to bring himself to turn in his own Alpha. He would be compelled to lie. Lie about every death that Hannibal presented him with like a folded note passed through the classroom.

A moan sounded through the door and Hannibal all but lost control, the scent of rich overripe fruit and sex making his steady hand quake ever so slightly as he turned the handle and pushed open the door.

It hit him like a wave.

As strong as it had been throughout the rest of the house it was like a flood blockade had been broken when he opened the door, a tsunami rushing over and consuming Hannibal in a way he had never known before.

The room was a haze of pheromones; the bed abandoned though soaked in sweat, the predator within him entered the room, leaving the human suit Hannibal normally wore behind.

The Omega, his prey, was gone. His eyes flicked over the thread bare sheets, the old and worn comforter lying more on the floor then the bed. His eyes darted to the ensuite and then to the floor by the window. The tiniest of noises, the hitch of a breath drawing him around the bed; he moved methodically, each step with precision and purpose to bring him closer to that which would be his.

Lust blown eyes meet Hannibal from where he sat beneath the window, hidden by the angle of his small ugly bed.

The predator smiled, tight lips pulling to show only the barest hint of teeth, the Omega was handcuffed to the radiator. He looked like a sacrifice, one made especially to the darkness that resided within Hannibal. Legs spread and with three greedy fingers inside him he turned vibrant blue eyes to Hannibal, all but begging for him to make the sickness go away.

"H-Hannibal?" blood soaked lips ventured, "What are you doing here?" Will was fighting a losing battle with himself, his fingers already drawing back stringing slick from his entrance across his legs, legs that were already spreading in presentation for the Alpha before him even as his hand trembled in desperation for the blanket that half lay on the floor.

Sanguine eyes drank in their offering; a socked foot catching the bedding Will dared cover his nudity with and pushed it to the side. There would be no hiding what was his. "Where is the key?"

Will swallowed; his adam's apple bobbing with the motion in a way that made Hannibal want to bite into him, an indulgence he would be sure to partake once the Omega in question held him between his lithe thighs.

A last act of resistance or a mind too fogged to remember, Will shook his head.

"Move." It was his only warning before Hannibal picked up a hammer Will had abandoned in the corner of his room and with the precision of an executioner snapped the piping from its bolt to the wall.

Steam filled the room, heating it with a burning haze, Will scrambled back as he was freed from his restraints, his hormone-riddled mind telling him it was time to bow and please even as he crawled away from the steam.

In one fluid motion Hannibal lifted the Omega from the floor to his bed, watching as his mind fully succumbed to the heat and presented himself to the alpha, eyes half-mast and numb fingers pulling at the fly of his trousers.

Strong hands pulled trembling ones away, holding them firmly in one of his own as he pushed Will farther up the soiled bed; rebellious legs wrapped around his still clothed hips in desperation, pressing his erection to an entrance he could not yet reach. Will whimpered, piercing the air as he tried and failed to find his satisfaction, a sound that made him growl, low warning.

Pinning Will's body with his own he pushed his face into the crook of the other man's neck, finding the source of Will's scent at his throat. He was drowning in it, forgetting himself in the opium that was Will's musk. All but tearing his pants to free himself from the confining fabric he pushed himself within, the girth of his member stretching Will's opening in a way he'd never felt before; he threw his head back, arching into the new sensation of pain and pleasure, jerking his hands in a need to pull and tear the silk and wool from the Alpha's body.

His prey's vulnerable throat revealed Hannibal took his prize, sinking teeth sharper than most into supple flesh while thrusting deep into the withering body beneath him. Will cried out, pained and sweet, pulling and pushing at the Alpha upon him, wanting and hating that penetration, longing and terrified as he felt an overwhelm of emotions surge through him with the double penetration.

Blood sang over Hannibal's tongue, bringing new life to him as though it were wine from the Holy Grail. He could feel it already beginning to creep through edges of his mind, tracking it with what of him was not completely consumed by the pheromones he was drugged by.

A bond was forming between them; a need to keep, protect, provide and claim the Omega beneath him.

Releasing the struggling hands he replaced his grip to Will's thighs, lifting the flesh over his shoulders for a deeper angle, thrusting in hard and fast that there would be no doubt left in Will's mind that he had been thoroughly claimed.

The Omega gasped, free hands digging fingers into the suit jacket for support as Hannibal at last found the spot inside him that made his toes curl. He cried out, the return of the little white lights that danced behind his eyes lids now like fireworks as the Alpha pounded into him, biting harder as Will clawed at his back for release.

With a final thrust Will was coming, crying out over Hannibal's shoulder as taught muscles spasmed around him, forcing a knot to swell and pull at his entrance with each flagging thrust as Hannibal continued to seek out his own release. Knot swelled too large to allow the predator to pull free from the withering Omega beneath him, it was Will's spasming climax that forced his release, milking the warm heat from his knot as he emptied himself deep within him.

Stilling over his new mate, slowly removing his teeth to lap at the hot blood that coated his throat and examine the wound there, they both remained quiet; content to lie still and catch their breath in the foggy room of heat and mist. Neither would be moving for at least half an hour, they would have to wait for the swelling of the knot to subside enough to allow Hannibal to pull free of his confines, and by then they would tearing the remainder of Hannibal's clothes from his body to resume their heat-frenzied act.

Hannibal only hoped he could free his mind long enough to pick the lock to Will's handcuffs and cancel his appointments for the next couple of days.

He wouldn't want to be rude.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Notes: Thanks to everyone who's been enjoying the story so far. C:

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal, wish I did, but I don't.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

03: Morning After

Sweat-soaked bodies rocked together with each lazy thrust of Hannibal's hips, riding out the last of Will's heat in a final orgasm.

The pair had been intertwined in a mess of limbs, slick and seed for nearly two days, only stopping long enough in their activities to cancel appointments, call into work and scavenge Will's kitchen for some form of sustenance. Hannibal had fed Will, deemed that nothing in the house was fit to put in his body, drank an abundance of water and fucked his Omega over the counter.

Now tangled on Will's sofa they never made it back upstairs, exploring the accessible and relatively flat surfaces of the empath's house during the height of their craze and settling on the couch when they at last began to wind down. But now, with Hannibal finally still inside him and the final strings of heat leaving his system Will was becoming more and more aware of the psychiatrist currently in and on top of him.

"Jesus Christ," Will sat up with a start, pushing Hannibal back as he struggled to lift himself. The Alpha was only marginally larger then him, taller by an inch or two and broader in the shoulders, but where Will received his exercise by what was demanded from his job and hiking in the woods with his dogs, Hannibal had built on his lean whipcord muscles with what had to be good food and regular exercise. He was stronger then Will, something he'd experienced first hand with a number of positions chosen around the house, and heavier thanks to the little fact of muscle weighing more than fat. "Get off me." Panicked, Will pulled himself back, shuttering despite himself when the feeling of Hannibal's sex pulled from his body, the knotting no longer present with the diminish of hormones, releasing the build of liquid heat that had been pumped into him over the last two days.

Sitting back Hannibal allowed Will to pull away, watching a small puddle of his spent pool on the cushion beneath the blushing Omega. It didn't bother him that the man felt the need to cover his sex with a pillow and hide the evidence of what they had done or that he was desperately trying to take control of a situation where there was nothing to take control of.

Will was his now, bound to him with collar of red and violet marks that hung like a bloody chain around his throat, his loins filled with enough scent that he would not be removing it without a long bath and fingers any time soon. He might be desperate to try and cleanse himself of their evidence, but there was nothing to be done about the broken skin.

"Will," Hannibal started, not bothering to hide his own nudity with the hair coated pillows, he smelt strong enough of canine without adding to it. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down?" He spat the words, his anger only fueled by the other man's calm composure, they had just had sex; vicious, messy, Alpha Omega bonding sex, and he somehow managed to sit on the other side of Will's dog hair covered sofa looking as at collected and still as if they were having this conversation in his office. "You just came into my house and _raped_ me Hannibal; you cannot tell me that I need to calm down!"

Hannibal noted the small audience that was beginning to form around them, the companions more than happy to leave the pair alone during their activities so long as they left the kitchen door open, were suddenly taking great interest in the distress of their master; all seven dogs coming to form a semi-circle around Will's side of the couch in comfort. "Will, I did not rape you." He tried to sooth, "I succumbed to my rut when I entered your home just as you to your heat. We are both victims to our biology in this; I could not control myself anymore than you."

Will laughed, it was low and bitter and full of hate, "I thought Alpha's were supposed to have more control over themselves then Omegas." He cast his eyes in any direction where Hannibal was not, trembling hands trying to find comfort in the warm fur of his companions.

"That is a misconception made by most who do not understand the biology of an Alpha. We suffer a rut quite similar to an Omega's heat when exposed to their pheromones, some require more than other, but eventually we all succumb. I have walked away from such things in the past Will, but what I experienced upon entering your home was so potent it invoked a rut I had not anticipated or prepared for. I apologise for losing myself, but there was simply nothing I could do." Nothing he chose to do. He could have walked away before his rut completely set in, released his energy with a hunt, but then he wouldn't be sitting in front of a very bound Will Graham right now, and wasn't that worth the pangs of hunger that gnawed at him?

Will cast a glance toward him, finding nothing in the mask that sat so firmly in place, so different from the raw dominance he'd peeked at over the last two days. "What were doing in my house?" His words were laced with venom, the mongoose threatening the snake.

Hannibal motioned toward the container, now licked clean, still laying abandoned on the floor. It made Will lift an brow in confused curiosity. "You were bringing me dinner?"

"I have a 24 hour cancelation policy." He explained, watching as realization began to dawn on the Empath.

"I missed my appointment."

"For very good reasons it seems." Rising from his place on the couch Hannibal gathered the container and lid bringing them to the kitchen to rinse and clean, if they were no longer going to be indulging in further activities then there was no reason for him to be leaving dirty tupperware lying around.

Trying to regain some of his dignity Will followed after Hannibal into the kitchen, leaving his protective pillow behind. The man had already experienced all that Will had to offer, covering himself was hardly going to do him any good now. "But why come to my house?"

Hannibal noted that Will kept the island between them, preserving further exposure and allowing a comfortable distance. An island would not save him if Hannibal wanted back between his legs, but he would allow him to believe so if it meant regaining some of the lost trust between them. "You are a patient of mine Will and one of the few people I would like to call friend." The word sounded foreign to him, not one he often found he used in reference to himself. "When I called Jack inquiring if you were on a case he told me you had taken a sick day. I only wished to see if you were alright, I had not intended to," He paused a moment, letting Will assume the gravity of displeasure on his part for the happenings between them; he couldn't see the smile that Hannibal held on the inside. "I am sorry Will, I did not mean for this to happen between us."

Will wanted to be mad, he wanted to hate Hannibal for what he'd done to him, throw things and scream for him to get out, but found he couldn't bring himself to it. He couldn't do any of it. Because he was his Alpha or because he was his friend and an honest, though terrible mistake had been made between them he wasn't sure. "It's…we'll deal with it. I just need to get back on my pills before anyone else figures this out." He touched a tentative hand to his neck, fingers following along the deep lines of bite just to the side of his jugular. An Alpha's bite scared thick and white thanks to the hormones in their saliva; He would have to start making a fashion statement of scarves and turtle necks if he wanted to keep it hidden.

Hannibal found he was suddenly thankful for the divider between them when his cock twitched watching Will finger his brandings. "I'm not so sure that would be wise Will." He didn't want to smell rancid Beta pheromones smeared all over Will now that he'd had the chance to properly scent him. He didn't want anyone's scent other than his own mingling with Will's and he didn't want him supressing his delicious heat ever again. He had found himself enjoying far more of the Omega then he'd been anticipating when first he climbed those stairs.

That put him back on the defensive. "Why not?" He demanded. "I've been on them for years, there's no reason for me to stop now."

"I'm afraid that would be the exact reason for you to stop Will," He chided "you have been supressing your body for far too long, these pills which you have been illicitly acquiring may be the cause for a number of your neurological disorders. There isn't a brand on the market which will allow for long term usage."

"I can't come off these Hannibal, I'll lose my job!" Such beautiful emotions of desperation and anger crossed his face, no longer finding concern in his nudity when faced with a larger fracture forming in his life. He tried to find some ground for himself.

"Which would be better than losing your mind."

"You don't know for sure that they're even the cause of that! No one's ever been on them long enough to find out!"

"Oh my God…" Now this was an unexpected turn of events, Hannibal mused as Jack Crawford and Alana Bloom entered the house to stare in disbelief at the naked pair across the kitchen. Yes, Hannibal was very glad for the island that now lay between them, though he wished Will was on the other side with himself instead of being ogled by the new Alpha and Beta who had walked through the door.

Suddenly aware of the thick trails of fluid still running down his thighs as an audience joined them Will decided two things, he was going to start locking his doors and suicide might be a very viable option. "Does nobody know how to fucking knock!"


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Notes: Just so everyone is clear I'm gonna start driving Will a little crazy from here on in, so you better be open to a little dark!Will.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal if I did the series would be a lot gayer.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

04: Little Lie

As a second container of soup fell to the floor spilling its contents for hungry dogs to feast upon, Hannibal silently wondered if Will would have preferred his home made Grocer-noodle soup or the chicken and vegetable that was being lapped up.

Sadly, it was a question that would go unanswered as he would be taking careful control of the Omega's food intake from now on. He wanted his new mate to be healthy and if the evidence of his ribs showing a little more prominently then he would have liked was anything to go by that meant that he would have to force a little extra nutrition into the other man's diet.

"Will," Alana covered her gasping lips with delicate hands, fear and pity welling inside on behalf of her exposed friend. She turned away to give him some privacy, an act of kindness that Jack did not seem willing to repeat.

"You're an Omega," The statement almost sounded like betrayal coming from Jack "an Omega working for the FBI." Will was desperately wishing he would succumb to an aneurism or heart attack at that moment; either would be preferable to the scrutiny he was undergoing now.

"Yes, and one who has had the misfortune of a number of his friends and colleagues walking in on him during a most inopportune time. If you would Jack, Alana, please excuse us to clean up before an explanation is had." Hannibal said.

"There will be an explanation." Will had yet to turn around, he didn't want to see the people judging him at his door, he didn't need to, every emotion the pair would be been conveying his mind was playing to him clear as day. "Because I am very interested to know what the hell you're doing naked in Will's kitchen."

Will visibly shrank before them, his shoulders hunching as he tried to disappear inside himself. This was not happening he was not playing witness to the unravelling of his life in his own God-damn kitchen; fate could not be _that_ cruel to him. Not after everything else he'd been blessed with in life. "Get out Jack." He seethed. Alana would already be outside, he knew that, knew that at least she would respect him. She had to, someone had to.

He heard footsteps and the sound of the door closing before turning back to Hannibal, a dark look souring his face, outlining Will's usually tired eyes with hatred and accusation. It was a look that could have promised vengeance had the situation been different, one that would be beautiful shaded with blood and death. That was something Hannibal would be sure to sketch in the quiet of his office sooner rather than later, Will gazing up at him as he leaned over a corpse like an angel of death. "Get dressed." Will seethed.

It made Hannibal smile.

Two showers and twenty minutes later the pair stepped outside to greet their unexpected guests. If Will had to make a guess he would say that they'd just interrupted a rather heated conversation, and one regarding him; an awkward and heavy silence falling as soon as they stepped out. "What?" he was still mad; mad at Jack and Alana for walking in on him, mad at himself for never locking his door and mad that he still couldn't remember where the hell he'd put his pills.

"What?" Jack copied with a snap. "Alana and I come all the way out here to check on you, after you refused to answer your phone for _three_ days, because we're worried about you, to find you and _Hannibal_, your_ psychiatrist,_ have decided to take a vacation so you can experiment with heat and you're asking me _what_?"

"Speaking of which," Alana interjected, "what are you doing Hannibal?" She turned her quiet fury to the Alpha in question, "Will is your patient, a patient who relies on you to keep him grounded. This goes beyond unethical Hannibal; this is a breach of Doctor/Patient trust and ethics and is something I never would have expected from you. You could have your licence revoked for this, in fact you should." Her words were somewhere between a threat and a promise. Hannibal didn't like to be threatened; it tended to end bloody for the person trying to threaten.

"I would have to agree with Dr. Bloom, Dr. Lecter. Whatever you walked into when you came to check up on Will Sunday, you should have had the decency to turn around and walk away from it. There is no reason for you to be here right now, and no acceptable explanation for the ring around Will's neck." His voice gained volume until he was practically shouting at the calm Doctor by the end.

Hannibal worked to sooth the predator within, gentling himself the way he might have to gentle Will after killing his co-workers. Because if Jack didn't take a step back and learn to control himself soon the only sounds he would be making would be the ones of quiet decomposer.

"This isn't Hannibal's fault." Was the suprising comment to come to Hannibal's rescue, "I've been supressing myself since I was seventeen, this was my first heat in over sixteen years. He came to check on me when I skipped an appointment and I jumped him when he opened the door."

Even Hannibal was caught off guard by the story. Will was protecting him, lying to his friends in order to save Hannibal the loss of his career.

Or perhaps he was protecting his friends from the demon he'd been witness to these last three days.

"Will," Alana coaxed, trying to find eye contact that she would never receive, Will had busied his eyes with his pack of mutts playing in the yard. "Are you sure that's what happened?" Hannibal respected his old student. She had always been good with her patients, good at soothing them when upset and coaxing their secrets from their inner minds. It was no secret that many Omega's who'd experienced unwanted violet heats were coached by their new mates in what to say if questioned. He might have taken insult by her prying if it weren't half true.

"Don't question my integrity Alana, I know what I did." A lie, "I was overwhelmed by my own heat and I took advantage of the first Alpha who knocked at my door." Another lie, Hannibal counted. "If anything Hannibal should be pressing charges against me." Blue met earth-enriched red and Hannibal was moved. He looked forward to when he next found time alone with his dear William.

Jack looked from one to the other and back to Will. "So this is something that you want then Will? You're ready to retire from the FBI and this is how you're going to do it?"

"No Jack, I lost my pills, I can't find them anywhere. I took a dose of suppressants Sunday morning and haven't seen them since." Why couldn't anyone remember that one piece of information? None of this had been deliberate. "By the time I got a hold of my dealer the symptoms of heat were already beginning to show, I couldn't pick up a new bottle in time and then Hannibal showed up and everything fell apart. I don't want to quit the FBI, I don't want a mate and I don't want to be an Omega. It just," he deflated, the heat that had fueled his anger leaving him as he realized just how out of his hands the situation had become, there would be no going to back to the way things were after this, "happened."

"Despite this all being some kind of accident, what are the two of you going to do about it?" Alana turned to Hannibal, she expected him to take responsibilities for his actions, something he'd been planning from the beginning.

"I will-"

"I'll resume my pills and salvage what I can of my life." Will interrupted, unwilling to let Hannibal's next sentence touch the air, he wasn't ready for that particular curse to take root just yet.

"No, you won't." Jack stepped in, giving voice to the command before Hannibal could. "If you've been on those things for this long then you've already done more than enough damage to your body. No Alpha is going to allow their mate to poison themselves with those."

"It's my body, if I want to cut out my own liver I can." He snapped.

"No Will, you can't." Even Alana had turned against him. "They're poison to your system; any number of your neurological problems could be routed back to the misuse of these pills. You need to come off them."

It was as though he was watching the very ground he stood on slowly crumble beneath his feet to bury him. "If I stop taking these I'll lose everything."

"You already have Will." They were the final words to break him; Jack's dismissal. "The FBI won't take you back and I can't ask Dr. Lecter to overdose his mate with bad prescriptions." As if it wasn't Will's choice at all, as if his body no longer belonged to him because of a ring of broken skin around his neck. "I'm sorry Will, as of immediately you're suspended from the FBI; now both of you get in the car."

"Jack you can't be serious." Alana exasperated.

"What?" Will said.

"We found a body Monday, we think it was left by The Ripper and I've been keeping the scene clear trying to get a hold of you to come in and look at it." He turned to Hannibal. "Please, I need to borrow you and your Omega."

"I am afraid that you are asking the wrong individual Jack, it is Will's decision if he is willing to assist in a case after being dismissed." All eyes turned to Will.

"Will you don't have to do this; you can turn around and close the door. You've had more than enough pushed on you today." Alana said, trying to give some reassurance to the Omega who was otherwise being pressured in every other aspect of his life.

"It's my choice?" He looked to Hannibal for confirmation and then to Jack. "Then I'll only go if you let me keep my job."

"Will I can't-"

"Then I won't. I never wanted to go back into the field anyway Jack; I only did it because you bullied me into it, because we both know I'm your best bet at finding the Chesapeake Ripper."

"I did not bully you into-"

"You said that every death I could have prevented would be on my head Jack!" He yelled. "You said that you needed me, my unique way to empathise with killers! So if you want me to look then you're going to have to guarantee me my job." His voice leveled, quiet with an edge of calm, "Otherwise every death that comes because I can't look, all those are going to rest on your shoulders."

At that moment Hannibal wanted to take him again, slow and bloody.

"I'll see what I can do Will, but I can't promise anything. You are an Omega and there are laws."

"And you need me." He turned to the stairs, his silent agreement.

Delighted with the sudden turn of events and a chance to see his new mate examine his gift, if a few days old, Hannibal placed a possessive hand to the base of Will's back, "We will take my car if you don't mind." He wanted to have it with him for taking Will home after the exhibition; he was quite literally starving and beginning to feel quite eager about getting home.

"Alright," Jack agreed, "just…come."

Guided by the hand on his back Will allowed Hannibal to lead him to his car, "I have my own car Hannibal." He said, despite climbing into the Bentley.

"I am well aware, but I don't believe we need three cars following Jack to a murder scene, do you?" He offered in simple response, not yet willing to inform Will that he would not be returning to Wolf Trap after their excursion.

Will didn't answer, instead settling back in his seat to watch the scenery filter by his window. He had a lot to think about now; like how was he going to deal with his gender being made public, what he was going to do about work if Jack didn't let him come back, and what was going to happen between him and Hannibal. The latter was a conversation he didn't think he'd ever be ready for, it could only really end one way and he wanted to postpone that as long as he could.

Sighing he sank back into his seat, watching as the trees began to thin the closer they came to the river. He wondered if Hannibal would still let him come back out to Wolf Trap to fish after he was forced to move in with the older man, he wasn't sure if Hannibal liked seafood or not but given his adventurous pallet Will couldn't' see him disliking any of the fish he'd be able to bring back from the river.

"Fish," Will realized, mildly confusing his driver with the seemingly random word. "I'd been fishing Sunday morning," He explained aloud, more for himself then any consideration toward Hannibal. "I'd had my pills in my pocket because I didn't know how long I was going to be out."

And then he'd slipped.

"God Damn-it they're in the river."


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Notes: Shorter chapter then usual but I leave you with the promise of sex in the next one. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

05: Gifts of Love

Jack was already out of his car and waiting by the time the new couple pulled up to an abandoned warehouse, Hannibal parking perfectly in between yellow lines despite the deserted lot. "I've had everyone clear off Will, there's no one else here who's going to pick up your scent." Will nodded, closing the car door behind him, he appreciated not having any of his co-workers around to interrupt him, but he didn't take it as any act of kindness from the other man; Jack needed him to look and he had been ousted as an Omega, he wouldn't have been able to get near the body if anyone else had been present.

Will followed silently as Jack lead them into the abandoned warehouse, their footsteps echoing off the industrial brick walls the only noise to accompany the trio as they ascended deeper into the building, Alana having been sent home by Jack insisting that he did not want to break the laws anymore than he had to.

It wasn't until they reached a set of paint chipped double doors that Jack finally stopped, his hand pausing on the handle like it would open a gate into hell. "He was found by some teenagers Monday afternoon; we're still matching DNA samples against those reported missing in the last three days." Will brow furrowed, trying to understand why they weren't using any number of other methods for identification. Dental record being one of the key identification tools when faces were left disfigured. "There are a few things different about this one Will; I need you to tell me if it's the Ripper and why he's suddenly changed."

"Alright," Made more nervous by Jack's odd behaviour then the idea of seeing another dead body Will found himself subconsciously leaning into the shoulder of the man standing next to him, his Omega instincts looking for reassurance in the touch of their Alpha.

The act did not go unnoticed, Hannibal supressing a smile at the evidence of their growing bond. He wondered how long it would take before Will would find himself only knowing comfort while in his embrace.

When he would find comfort locked in the blood soaked arms of the predator that'd claimed him.

Turning the knob and pushing, double doors swung open with the groan of old metal, revealing a room barely illuminated by the light of several small high windows and a few battery-operated lights set and left by the FBI forensics.

A body had been left seemingly floating in the middle of the room and like Jack had said was unlike anything Will had ever seen before.

It made his blood feel like ice.

Standing back Jack left the Omega to slowly approach the disfigured man, "Oh my God…" Will breathed, examining the corpse through the fog of his breath, shaking as the room suddenly became so much colder than it had before.

The body seemed to levitate in the middle of the room, each limb suspended from the rafters by lengths of fishing wire and lures, the thin metal hooks pulling the corps like a puppet to hold a bouquet of organs.

"Is he just playing with our heads Will, or is he sending us some kind of a message." Jack's voice reverberates in the room, taking a few steps farther into the room while still keeping his distance from the empath.

"Not us," Will swallowed, losing himself in facial muscles where flesh should have been, gazing at blooms that now replaced eyes. "This is a message to me."

"To you?" Hannibal played for ignorance, coming closer to Will as the empath worked, reading the designs of his latest kill.

All identification had been stripped from the victim and replaced with an assortment of flowers; the teeth had been pulled to leave a gaping smile filled with thorny roses, eyes of large puffy dahlias stared back at Will unblinking but fragrant; the scalp had been removed completely and replaced with curls of baby's breath. Not even a finger print remained to give name to the victim displayed with a gory love unseen in the Rippers previous works, Will noted, eyes darting to the Skeletal hands wrapped tight around a bundle of entrails, coned in brightly colored tissue paper stained with blood.

There would be nothing for him to read of the victim, only the Ripper and his design on the body.

The torso, skin pulled open like the curtains of a play, was empty of all vitals but one; the victim's heart displayed perfectly within their corpse, hanging in the same fashion as their owner with a delicate array of lines and lures holding it in place to levitate within the body.

Will was on his hands and knees heaving within seconds, contaminating the crime scene with vomit and bile.

"Will!" Hannibal was the first to reach him, wrapping the Omega tight in his suit jacket and pulling him against him to try and block the cold that consumed him and still his shaking form, a thin sheen of sweat covering him despite the cold that filled the room. "He's having a panic attack."

Jack was next, kneeling down to one side. "Jesus, is this because of the Ripper or some kind of withdrawal from those pills?"

Horrified blue eyes remained transfixed on the body before them. "It's a love confession," He choked, unable to tear himself away.

"What?" Hannibal feigned, looking from his mate to his valentine.

"For who?" Jack demanded, searching Will's paling face for answers.

Will was being consumed by Horror and fear as he never had before.

The Ripper knew him, knew of him personally. He knew that Will was gifted with the ability to empathise with people, that he became those he looked too deeply into and that he hated it, hated becoming other and hated meeting people's eyes. He'd made it so that Will wouldn't have to worry about his victim; he'd taken away everything that gave them an identity. "For me."

"What the hell do you mean it's a love confession for _you_?" Jack just couldn't see it, looking from the display to the man being cradled on the floor. "Because he's using fishing hooks? You think he knows about your fishing?"

He didn't answer, eyes trapped on the heart hanging so delicately within the body, each line of wire like a ribbon presenting his gift to him. This was a piece of art the Ripper had wanted him to see more than any other, because he knew that Will would understand it's meaning. The Ripper knew how the inner working of his mind would see this, it was enough to make his stomach clench again.

His line of vision was finally broken from the display by a strong gentle hand on his face, Hannibal turning his blue eyes to meet sangria ones, their intense gaze examining his quaking features. "I am taking Will home." He announced, lifting the empath with little effort much like one would a bride, his suit jacket still wrapped tight around his mate's shoulders. He was shaking, emotionally overwhelmed by his gift.

Jack turned to him, looking from the Alpha to the Omega in his arms. He needed to talk to Will, but recognized that it was a conversation that would have to wait until later. "Have him call me when he's stable. I need to know what he's picked up from this; it won't be here after today." It shouldn't have been there at all.

"As soon as he's able," Hannibal nodded, turning to quickly carry his mate out of the building and away from his gift, enjoying the way Will dug his fingers into the cotton of his shirt; his wide eyes stared blankly into the white fabric as though the body were painted in its fibers to be examined again and again.

Will had receded into the depths of his mind, Hannibal realized, buckling his mate into the car. He was trying to digest the new wealth of information presented to him. He had an admirer, a deadly one who had insight into the inner workings of his mind. It would have been enough to unsettle the empath on any given day, driving him to calling Hannibal or making an unexpected visit. But with the pile of horrors that had already taken him that morning, Hannibal's love note had been the metaphorical straw to break the camel's back.

The drive back to Hannibal's house was a quiet one, the silence between them occupied by the gentle hum of classical music and Hannibal's soothing hushes, stroking his fingers through Will's soft curls whenever the empath began to tremor too violently, calming him with touch and scent.

It wasn't until Hannibal was unloading Will from the car that he noticed the Omega mumbling something, his lips barely moving as he breathed the words, eyes focused on the dash.

Unsure whether Will had returned to his senses yet, but unwilling to wake him from his trance if he had not, Hannibal leaned in until he could feel Will's warm breath ghosting over the shell of his ear.

He smiled as he listened to the quiet mantra of horror and disbelief, helping Will out of the car and carrying him into the house, loving every lost word murmured into his dress shirt.

"The Chesapeake Ripper wants me as his mate-"

_He already has you_.


	6. Chapter 6

Authors Notes: I give you smut.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

06: Scrub A Dub Dub

Will still hadn't come back to himself; sitting still as a doll as he tried to cope with the hand life had dealt him.

Hannibal didn't overly mind the empath's sudden choice for silence, it gave him enough time to properly feed himself while keeping his Omega comfortably placed in a chair in his sitting room, with a soft, warm blanket wrapped around him. The silence had been enjoyable for the first hour and a half, but after he'd finished eating and cleaning his kitchen Hannibal decided that he'd had quite enough of that silence. As pretty as Will was ornamenting his room, he really preferred it when the Omega was shifting through an array of endless emotions Hannibal couldn't feel.

Taking Will by the shoulders he tested the Omega's feet, lifting him gently to learn that it was almost as though he were sleep walking, allowing Hannibal to guide him through the large house and up the stairs to his bedroom and ensuite. "I'm going to run you a bath." He explained to the catatonic man, seating him on the side of a tub large enough to comfortably fit three people. "I believe the hot water and some soaking salts may help calm your nerves."

Will didn't reply, eyes fixed on the beautiful marble and dark wood of Hannibal's bathroom counters, his lips had stilled sometime while Hannibal was cooking, but the trance had stayed.

Filling the tub with hot water and mineral salts smelling of juniper and cedar, Hannibal determined that he would have to join Will for his bath if he didn't want to risk his new mate drowning. Stripping himself first and depositing the suit pieces into the appropriate laundry baskets for later cleaning, he took his time and stripped Will next, enjoying the slow reveal of onyx and amethyst gems along creamy hips and thighs, he hadn't been able to enjoy Will's reveal before, too lost in the heat of his rut to properly focus on the fine structure of Will's body, but he would enjoy it now, admiring the evidence of Will's violent claiming against the contours of his skin.

Disposing of Will's clothing in the same fashion as his own, Hannibal lifted the Omega into the tub, following him into the hot waters and sitting behind him. "You can relax Will, there is no need for you to worry, the Ripper cannot get you here." He lied, reaching for a bar of mildly scented soap to begin washing his mate, an excuse to touch his long, toned limbs and lithe muscle. "I am your mate now, a well-timed accident it would seem." He pressed his nose into the sweat damp curls of Will's neck, relishing the scent of fear that still lingered there. "An Omega can only have one Alpha; no matter what he does the Ripper cannot claim you as his own."

At last Will seemed to react on his own, head turning to see Hannibal in his peripheral. "You're my Alpha," the thing that had scared him so completely before suddenly something so soothing. Hannibal nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to one of the red chain links still bright against the back Will's neck. "He can't get me because you're my Alpha." He pulled from Hannibal's arms, twisting around to face him.

"Yes Will, you're safe." Another lie, he was sitting in the lap of the lion.

Will launched himself onto his mate, pushing dry chapped lips against silken ones. The Ripper didn't care that Will was a Beta and would only be encouraged further if he knew that Will was an Omega; but with Hannibal as his mate he would be protected, as long as he was marked, wearing proof and smelling of his new Alpha, the Ripper couldn't have him, he could kill him, but he could never _have_ him.

For the first time in his life Will found his biology was doing something to help instead of hinder him.

Hannibal quickly recovered from the initial shock of having his adverse mate throw himself upon him, Hannibal had expected they would have needed to work up to this slowly, he didn't think he'd be given the chance to be so intimate with Will this soon after his claiming. It was a very welcomed surprise.

Even more so when a hand snaked down between them to touch Hannibal's penis, making the member jerk in excitement at the surprise contact. "Mark me," Will commanded into rough kisses, he needed more armour against the serial killer trying to court him and Hannibal could provide that for him by letting them build on their bond.

Rough fingers found their way down Will's back to the clef of his ass, pushing the fleshy mounds apart to feel for slick thicker than the water they were in. He wanted Will to enjoy their mating, to become completely dependent upon his Alpha, and in order to do that he needed Will to find pleasure and comfort in every aspect of their now joined lives.

"Are you sure?" He allowed a hint of concern to trace his mask, the slight furrow of his brow, "I thought you did not want this Will."

"Mark me," He repeated, unwilling to examine things any closer than he had to, less the truth stop Hannibal from performing. Will didn't want to be mated, he didn't want to have an Alpha and he hated the idea of being owned and marked, but right now it was the only thing standing between him and the Ripper. "Please Hannibal."

Two fingers pushed inside him, guided with precision to the spot that had been so thoroughly explored between them only that morning. The quick action made Will shutter, gripping the heavy flesh between Hannibal's legs and forcing a moan from the Alpha. "If that is what you want." He agreed, thrusting in again and making Will cry out. He dove into that mouth, drinking each moan that tried to escape him as Hannibal found his mark again and again.

An inexperienced hand worked to pleasure the man beneath him, sliding up and down the length of his member and sweeping a thumb over the weeping head, Hannibal shuddered beneath him as his finger pressed down onto the slit, adding a third finger to the Omega who teased him and pushing in further, he devoured the gasping pleasure that tried to escape his lips.

Will pulled back first, trying to pull air into his starving lungs as Hannibal continued to work him open. "You are beautiful Will," He murmured into the flesh of his neck, pulling the Omega to straddle his lap and aligning the head of his member to Will's entrance, "Both your mind and your body," He held his hips, slowly sliding himself into the writhing empath. "Regardless of what anyone might otherwise suggest." He meant that, there was no lie to trace those words.

"You're a shrink Hannibal," Will gasped, feeling the thick organ seat inside him with more satisfaction than fingers could bring. "Of course you're going to like my crazy."

"Rude," Hannibal smiled with ease, shifting his hips to thrust up into the Omega as his teeth sank deep into the flesh of his throat, adding another link to the chain. Will's laugh was stifled by a moan, as he allowed the powerful hands on his hips to guide his body up and down, setting the pace for their leisurely copulation.

Swallowing his own throaty noise, Hannibal examined the growing collar with half-lidded eyes licking the salty beads of red that slithered down Will's clavicle as he shifted above him. "Why did you lie for me Will?" He finally broached the subject, bucking his hips to meet Will's movement. He was rewarded by the Omega arching back over him, revealing all of his flesh for Hannibal to gaze upon.

"Honestly?" Will ventured, his movements beginning to flag as he edged closer and closer to his climax with each thrust.

"Preferably," Hannibal nodded, watching the muscles of Will's chest heave as he struggled to keep pace with his enclosing pleasure.

"I-" He gasped, body tensing as he spilled himself over Hannibal's toned stomach, blunt nails digging into the skin of his back as muscles clenched and his orgasm took him.

With his mate finally sated Hannibal allowed his own pace to pick up, moving Will's tired body for him as he thrust deeper into him, forcing the clinging Omega to meet each one with a jerk of his over sensitized sex until at last he felt Hannibal cuming; a wet heat filling him inside.

Sated, they fell back into the tub together, Will lying comfortably on top of Hannibal as his new mate softened inside him, supporting them both in the hot bath water as they soaked. "I don't want a new psychiatrist."

Hannibal couldn't help the edge of a smile that pulled at his lips for the honest, selfish answer. But didn't that make sense? Alana had been threatening to take away the only grounding point Will had, if he hadn't said anything Hannibal would have lost his licence, or killed everyone, and Will would have lost that one solid piece of reality he'd come to rely on, or his only two friends would be dead. "I appreciate it nonetheless." He replied in honesty himself, stroking Will's damp curls and soothing the Omega.

"Sorry it wasn't a romantic awakening to our bond." Will chucked, letting his fingers flick the warm water as he breathed the scent of his Alpha. Frowning, he glanced around the bathroom, finally taking note of his new surroundings. "When did we get in the tub?"


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Notes: Uh, just so you're all aware, this story is going to get pretty gory…so you've been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

07: Do It Yourself

"I'm sorry Will, but you just can't come back to the field. The law is the law." Jack explained over the phone. "Even if you weren't an Omega, the Chesapeake Ripper's love note would have been enough to pull you from the case."

"But it wouldn't have lost me my job, Jack." A frustrated hand buried itself in loose curls.

"Will there is nothing I can do about that, Omegas are not permitted to work in law enforcement. You're out."

"What about my teach-"

"You're out."

Seeing his mate in distress and feeling a new sense of need to ease that distress Hannibal found himself coming to comfort his Omega, drying his hands on his apron and standing behind the man to place a hand on his shoulder just as the phone beeped off. "I take it things did not go well?" He asked.

"No," Will was torn between leaning into the warm comfort of that hand and tearing away from it. "He won't let me go back to work, either job. I'm officially unemployed."

Placing his other hand onto the empath's shoulder he began a gentle rub, massaging out the tight knots of stress. "Things will be fine Will, you do not need to work if you do not wish to. I make more than enough to sustain the both of us."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not doing that to you. I have my own bills to take care of Hannibal, I'm not about to start asking you to pay off my mortgage or feed my dogs." He decided to lean into those hands, letting the movements relax him.

"Will," He had been avoiding the subject of his moving since the reveal of his first courting gift. "It has been two weeks since the incident at the crime scene. You have chosen to stay with me over entering the witness protection program and are now unemployed and being hunted. It is time that we had a proper conversation regarding your moving in."

"There's nothing to talk about, I'm staying in Wolf Trap, and this is only a temporary arrangement."

"I apologise Will, but I must protest. As your mate it is my duty to take care of you, I cannot allow you to continue living in Wolf Trap with the Chesapeake Ripper courting you." Pushing his thumbs along the edge of shoulder blade and muscle he elicited a moan. "I must insist that you sell the house."

Will flew up, knocking over the chair in his excitement. Or he would have if Hannibal wasn't so alarmingly strong, his hands only gripping for the second of Will's reaction to his statement, keeping the Omega seated as he continued his ministrations.

"I'm not selling Hannibal; you're my Alpha, not my keeper."

"Will you are being unreasonable." He protested again. "I am only trying to keep you safe."

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself." This time he pushed the hands off, moving into the kitchen, his back left to the Alpha as he stared out the window.

"Of course you are." He hadn't heard him walk the short distance from the table to the kitchen but he felt the hand that ghosted over ribs that, even Will had to admit, showed too much. "But at the moment things have become complicated. Until the Ripper has been caught it would be best if you disappeared. Selling your home and coming to live with me will give the illusion that you left after his proposal."

"You don't think he'll start searching for me once I 'leave'?" Will bit, he wasn't in the mood to talk about this.

Keeping the edge of frustration from his voice Hannibal eyed the vulnerable back of Will's neck debating his options. "They have been chasing the Ripper for years Will, there is no guarantee that they will be able to catch him, what will you do should he disappear for another three years? His hiding will not make things any safer for your return home."

"I don't care Hannibal, I'm not selling. I'll stay here with you and wait for the Ripper to be caught but I'm not selling my house!" He yelled.

"Then I ask you to please forgive me," Gripping the soft curls at the base of his skull, Hannibal forced his head to his chest and sank his teeth into him, clamping down to mark either side of his spine, piercing the Omega pressure point and turning Will to jelly in the same motion. He caught him, holding his mate flush against him with support as he held tight, denying his release until submissive whimpers filled the air. "You will pack everything that you own and contact a realtor today. I will not risk losing you over stubbornness, Will."

Slowly turning to face his Alpha, betrayal staining his eyes as he watched beads of blood, his blood, trickle down Hannibal's chin Will ultimately knew that he couldn't refuse this _order_. "Fine." He bit, "But I want my own room, I might be trapped here, but that doesn't mean I have to share a bed." Pushing off the counter he stormed away, missing the danger that flashed in those red eyes.

The drive out to Wolf Trap was a long and quiet one, though he'd allowed Hannibal to rent him a U-Haul to move his few earthly possessions, Will had refused to let the other male come with him. If he was going to bury his life he wanted to do it alone.

Pulling into the drive way of his little boat house, it was another forty minutes before Will finally built up the courage to enter his home for what would be the last time. Hannibal was going to have a cleaning company come out to remove anything Will left behind and scrub the place out after this; he would never see his little home in the middle of nowhere again.

Swallowing the anxiety eating at his stomach, he finally made it up the stairs and through the door.

In less than a minute he was on his ass, seven dogs pouncing their long-missing master with kisses. "Hey guys, it's been a long time hasn't it?" Will beamed, feeling more at peace then he had the past two weeks now that he was once again surrounded by family. Combing his fingers through soft fur and tacky patches he wasn't looking forward to discovering the source of, he finally settled the pack with a few more pats and a whistle. "I missed you all too." He beamed, getting up and brushing the dirt from his jeans, smearing tacky red trails of blood across his legs.

Eyes widening in horror he went for his dogs, checking each of the packs members in search of the source; finding that each dog has several sticky patches of the red stuff on them ,but no cuts to have caused, it he allowed his speeding heart to relax a fraction and turned to take in the rest of the house.

A display of hearts hung around the room, dangling by the same hooks and line as the first love note. There was one above each of his hound's beds, it was a gift Will realized, the Ripper was telling him that not only did he know where Will lived, but he knew where Will's heart lay and he hadn't taken that away from him. "He wants to keep me happy…" Will noted, letting his eyes dance from the seven hearts hung around the room to the piece that hung in the middle

Trembling, Will approached the masterpiece displayed in the center; it was a woman this time, standing so perfectly still with the tips of her toes touching the carpet and a gaping smile torn into her face. She watched Will's approach with the same floral eyes and long wispy baby's breath tresses as the man before her, thick bands of blue and green ribbon replaced the fishing line that had been used before, the killer using Will's favorite colors in braided silk ribbon bindings, suspending her from the ceiling and holding her hands out to Will with their offering of love.

Her heart had been cleaned, each valve blossoming with a large carnation, held out to him delicately between her bleach bone hands. And around her throat was a collar of possession not meant for her corpse but for his, deep gaping holes torn from her flesh circled the entire of her throat like a ruby choker.

But what disturbed Will the most about the gruesome display was not the invasion of his home or cruelty toward the woman hung before him but how touched he felt by it all. Fear running like blood through his veins, even as he understood the deep feelings of love and lust from the crime scene within his house, sensing the deep desire that the Chesapeake Ripper held for him.

"How many of these have you made?" Will found himself asking, taking a rope of bloody silk ribbon from the body and examining it before slipping it into his pocket. "How many of these offerings has Jack hidden from me the past two weeks that you broke into my house to leave me a present he wouldn't be able to hide?" Overwhelmed with his empathy, Will found himself touching the heart, getting a dot of red on his finger tips from the organ and tasting it, just as he knew the Ripper had tasted it.

Sending his pack out of the house, Will burnt it to the ground.

"If I call the police or tell Hannibal about this, they'll send me away." He rationalized to Winston, or perhaps himself. "I won't be able to bring you all with me if I'm forced into protective custody and I might have to leave Hannibal behind in order to keep my cover." Despite his still fresh anger with his mate he found himself not wanting to leave him behind. "If I want to get my freedom back, I'm going to have to catch the Ripper myself."

Hannibal was doing the dishes when Will returned home hours later. He had expected a panicked phone call from his mate or perhaps Jack some hours ago but ended up receiving nothing all day, not a note of worry from the man as he walked through the door. "Will, welcome home, would you like help carrying in boxes?"

The Omega didn't stop, marching past Hannibal and upstairs "They'll bring themselves in." Hannibal wasn't too sure how to receive that. Will had obviously seen his second courting gift if he'd been by the house, though he didn't seem as disturbed by it as last time, only angry from their earlier disagreement.

"What do you mean 'bring themselves in?" he asked just as seven dogs marched in through his kitchen door and proceeded to investigate his house.

Hannibal chassed after his mate as the sound of something breaking came behind him. "Will!"


	8. Chapter 8

Authors Notes: I borrowed the napkin folding thing from Sherlock because it was cute and I wanted to do something similar to that anyway, enjoy the chapter. C:

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal or Sherlock

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

08: Appetizers

"You are sure you do not wish to accompany me to the opera? I have a private booth, you would only need to socialize long enough to refresh your drink." Hannibal offered as he finished fastening his cufflinks. He had held no expectations of Will accompanying him on his outing, but it was only polite to offer such things to a guest and most certainly the same courtesy to your mate.

Will didn't even lower his book as he addressed Hannibal, not to be impolite but because it distracted his eyes from the strong lean body clothed in a perfectly tailored Armani. He'd heard once before that 'a man in a well-tailored suit was to women as lingerie was to men', but whoever said that hadn't seen Hannibal Lecter dressed for the opera. Whether he was being influenced by the growing bond they shared between them or he just really liked the way the suit's inky fabric brought in his waist and hung on his shoulders, Will was feeling a slight tightness in his pants that he didn't want to encourage right then. "Yeah, I'm fine here."

"So long as you are sure," He said lifting Will's chin and stealing a chaste kiss. "I will be home late," A warning that Will might not want to stay up waiting for his Alpha's return.

"Alright, I'll probably sleep in the shed with the dogs then." Will smiled watching him take a fractionally longer breath before leaving, his version of a frustrated sigh. They had come to a compromise of sorts when it came to Will's dogs.

Will had told Hannibal he would sooner live in the streets than leave his dogs and Hannibal said, in not so many words, that he would rather burn down his house then deal with the dander and hair. The compromise was building a shed in the back yard, well insulated and with a heater, for the dogs to sleep in and keep warm and dry. A bed and light had also been added upon Will's insistence. The bed was for nights like this, where Hannibal would be out late and Will would like the company of his dogs. Not that Hannibal overly approved of Will sleeping in a shed in their backyard when they had a perfectly good bed upstairs that wouldn't leave him smelling of canine in the morning.

Sleeping in the shed also meant that Hannibal wouldn't notice if Will was out.

Waiting until he was sure the Bentley was out of the driveway and well down the street, Will grabbed his jacket and called a cab. He might have been fired but Jack had still been forced to admit that Will was the best and his only real chance at catching the Ripper. No one else was able to read him the way Will did and so no one else was getting him any closer. That, to Jack, was more important than following the law.

While Hannibal had been at work, Jack had swung by the house for a friendly visit, dropping off a folder of the latest Ripper victim while he was there.

Jack thought that Will was finding a way to work with the pictures and documents he was providing him, gaining minute clues as to who the Ripper was from their pages. Will couldn't work with pictures and words though, he had explained it before; what he was taking from the documents was the address.

Paying the driver and getting out of the cab, Will was standing two blocks away from the murder scene; there would be officers patrolling the area until morning when the next batch of crew would come in for cleanup. The bodies would be gone, but he could still feel what remained of the crime scene.

Thinking back to the maps he'd searched up before heading out, Will walked the street as though he belonged there, just a member of the community out for a walk after work.

One who took note of how many house lights were out before darting through back yards and cutting across manicured lawns to hide behind the shed of the local murder home.

Once sure he had managed the sprint without being noticed, Will patiently waited for the patrolling officers to finish their loop around the empty building before Will ran the length of the back yard and, with no small amount of effort, crawled through the dog door.

As he'd expected, everything was already gone; nothing of the crime remaining but blood stains that would be cleaned away by the following night. But at least with the stains on the floor and the furniture left where it had been he could still _feel_ the Ripper in that kitchen.

The house had belonged to a real-estate agent, a woman who lived alone. Will had actually been dealing with her in regards to his burnt down property only a few weeks before. She had been less than polite about dealing with an Omega and had informed Will to get Hannibal, his _Alpha_, if he wanted to get anything done in regards to selling his home. He'd found another realtor after that and had held an unfair grudge against his Alpha for almost a week.

Standing inside the lavish home with the lights turned off, Will closed his eyes, remembering the pictures and letting the pendulum swing.

The Ripper had been invited in; there had been no signs of forced entry and no signal sent to the security company indicating distress. So she knew him or he was faking a business call of some kind. Everything had been fine for the pair until they reached the kitchen, no signs of a struggle anywhere in the house; But once in the kitchen, that was where the ripper severed her spine with surgical precision, paralyzing the woman from the neck down but leaving her alive and aware while he emptied her of all organs and made her into a salad bowl on the stainless steel island of her kitchen. Stuffed with crisp leaves of lettuce, plump round tomatoes, fresh olives and onion slices all dressed in light vinaigrette and accompanied by two glasses of sparkling water by candle light.

Jack had asked if this was the Ripper offering more romanticism to Will with the offer of dinner for two. At the time Will had said yes, but standing in front of the masterpiece now, he knew it was only a half truth. The Ripper knew Will personally, he knew that this woman had offended him and knew that Will was officially off the case.

He also knew that Will had hidden one of his offerings, burning all evidence of his savagery before it could be discovered by the police. He didn't know that Will was still visiting the crime scenes, but he knew that he would be following the news.

Standing in the illusion of his mind, staring at the dinner prepared for him with vengeful love, a monster emerged from the darkness of the house to join him at the island. "I know you." He said to the wendigo, watching the inky beast as a clawed hand lifted a single cherry tomato between razor fingers and pressed it to Will's lips, "but I don't know who." He took the offered fruit, breaking the thin skin to taste the memory of sweet acidity.

The illusion broke. "I need inside his head."

When Hannibal returned home it was well past midnight, his evening social engagement extended upon meeting Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, the pair remaining at the opera to socialize over wine until they were the sole remaining patrons of the opera house.

Upon entering his house, Hannibal had not been expecting to find Will sitting at the dining room table with an oblong bowl filled with salad accompanied by two wine glasses filled with sparkling water and candle light; the man even going through the trouble of setting the table with dishes and cutlery as though he were attending a fine dining restaurant; his good china and silver wear placed out as though for some special occasion, Will having gone so far in his arrangements to fold Hannibal's cloth napkins into centerpieces on each plate.

"Will," He ventured, more curious what his beloved was thinking rather than how he'd found out. The latest Ripper case had yet to be released to the public, even from his favorite tabloid reporter. "Why are you setting the table for formal dining and serving salad at quarter to one?" He asked, hanging up his jacket and coming to stand behind him.

"I need inside his head," he wasn't talking to Hannibal; he was talking to the table, which of course would be the gutted corpse of a woman in his mind. "I need to know him."

"Know who?" Hannibal asked, examining one of the napkins, he would have to ask Will to repeat his efforts for the next dinner party he hosted.

"Hannibal, why would someone create such a romantic atmosphere and not serve wine?" Will studied one of the glasses he'd pulled from the cupboard, crystal just as the realtor's had been, and took a sip of bubbly water. "Why carbonated water instead of a pinot noir or sauvignon blanc?"

Hannibal selected a ripe cherry tomato from the arrangement presented, taking the piece between his lips and breaking its skin with a pop, it filled his mouth with rich flavor and gathered an odd amount of attention from Will who watched him select the fruit and eat it as though he were witnessing an act of the devil. "Because salads are unfriendly to wine," he answered simply, "Their acidic dressings and raw vegetables do not compliment it; many people will forgo the wine during a salad course, a cleanser of the pallet, to sip at tonic instead."

Will nodded slowly, adding the little information this case presented him with to his growing profile on the Chesapeake Ripper.

But something seemed to tug at the far corners of his mind as he sat there watching Hannibal steal another small tomato from his virtual crime scene.

Strings of evidence were falling together now that he watched his not-quite-lover steal from his crime scene; the motion of taking something from the body and eating it piecing things like a puzzle.

The Chesapeake Ripper liked to cook.

He was skilled at cooking, took pride in what he did.

And he had invited Will out to dinner.

The oddities in the missing organs when corpses were found, things that no organ dealer would have any interest in, like pancreases and lengths upon lengths of intestine, they made sense if the Ripper was eating them; taking home so many prizes to stock his freezer and create masterful meals.

The first case Jack had brought him to, it wasn't just a love confession; the Ripper had been asking Will on a dinner date. Offering him all his favorites wrapped in colored tissue paper. The second was his true offer of love, and he had accepted it all by burning his house to the ground and hiding the evidence.

This was only the first course.


	9. Chapter 9

Authors Notes: I wrote this with a bunch of bandaids on my fingertips, makes it really hard to type.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

09: Over The Threshold

"Will," Hannibal began, setting the breakfast table with eggs benedict and orange juice, "last night you told me that you were trying to get inside someone's head." He had sent Will off to bed shortly after watching the man carefully construct two additional napkin swans while following the directions of a man on YouTube. Some conversations were best shared during the light of day and with a clean kitchen; the splash of blue cheese vinaigrette on his island had driven him mad until he'd finally shooed the empath up to bed so he could clean.

Will ignored the offered blood of fresh squeezed oranges to focus on coffee bordering on scalding and caffeine. How the hell Hannibal managed to crawl out of bed every morning and prepare himself something fabulous was a mystery of life, one Will had no intention of solving less he try to coax Will into joining him in his ridiculous morning routine. "Don't you ever eat bagels?" he asked out of honest curiosity.

Hannibal glanced up, "You are evading, and yes. Some mornings I will have bagels and lox."

Because Hannibal could never eat something as simple as plain cream cheese on whole wheat. "What about cereal? A big bowl of bran flakes first thing in the morning." He took another swallow of the burning liquid, enjoying the love hate relationship it shared with him and his throat.

"Will," He scolded, taking a sip of his own dark brew. "You were relieved of your position with the FBI, what are you doing re-creating murder scenes in my dining room?" Because wasn't it interesting that Will had so precisely reformed his latest piece when nothing had been released in accordance to it yet?

Will wasn't about to play dumb, Hannibal knew, he had to, Will only tried to crawl inside the minds of one kind of person, and never of his own accord. "Jack's bringing me photos and documents of the murder scenes." He caved, pushing a portion of the hollandaise sauce around with his fork, drawing squiggles along his plate.

He could understand that, Jack was realizing what a mistake it had been releasing Will from the field. His best chance at catching the Ripper, Jack was now giving everything that he could to Will under-the-table. "You can't work from pictures." Hannibal recalled, "So you rebuilt what you could of the murder, short of killing another human being."

Will nodded, giving up on the eggs and wondering to the kitchen for a second cup of coffee, he wasn't awake yet, still wandering in his sleep wear while Hannibal had already washed and dressed before making breakfast. "I can't work from pictures and there just isn't enough left at the crime scenes after they've been through to clean everything away. I need to see the bodies. I need to get to know both the victims and the killer, connect to them both; know his reason _why_ for doing it, for picking _her_."

Finishing off his own coffee, Hannibal followed Will into the kitchen taking the Omega's cup from him, guiding him back to the table and his seat, and placing the discarded plate back in front of him. Will was his mate now, he wasn't about to see the man starve himself because he couldn't handle his more elusive side. "You broke into the crime scene?" He returned to making coffee once he was sure that Will was fiddling with his food again, at least the fork was in his hand and not on the table.

"That's not the point." Will sighed, finally taking a bite from his cooling breakfast. "God," he chewed, "This is delicious." Once the first bite was swallowed he began to unceremoniously shovel the rest in, taking his second coffee when offered.

Someday he would teach Will what it was to savor one's meal, but for the time being he would settle for the small victory of making him eat. "You are becoming as obsessed with the Ripper as Jack, Will. He is forcing this upon you and you should be avoiding it. He is hunting you as a mate if you recall."

"No Hannibal, I need this. Since Jack dragged me back into the field he's been one step ahead of me and now he's trying to steal my life." This time when he pushed his plate away in favor of coffee it was empty. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life hiding and waiting for someone else to find him. You can't take me off this Hannibal; I'm going to find the Ripper."

"I am your Alpha, I will do what I believe is best for you. I am more than capable of letting the FBI know that Jack is leaking information to civilians." He countered.

"You wouldn't risk getting both Jack and me, your Omega, arrested." Will challenged back, feeling more awake now that he was beginning his second cup.

"What if I inform Jack that you are 'visiting' crime scenes after hours?"

That would cause trouble. "I'll stop sleeping in the guest room."

The bribery was cute, "I will not yield your safety to have you share my bed; _our_ bed."

"And I'll stop sleeping with the dogs."

"Will, I do not want y-."

"In your bed, no more dogs, and no more breaking into crime scenes, you let me keep working on this and don't tell Jack." It was his final offer.

Hannibal considered him a moment before conceding "Very well." There would be no stopping Will in his ventures if he really wanted to, not without biting him again and Will had refused to share their room since that demand, going so far as to push his bed against the guestroom door his first few nights. He would have been loath to reject such an opportunity to regain his mate's warmth if not for appearances sake, but a chance to keep him from the dog house as well? He would have found a tasteful way to take up the offer if only for that alone. "I will not interfere so long as your safety is guaranteed."

Will gave a half grin. "I'll be in the house with a pile of papers. Short of the Ripper following me home from the grocery store I'm as safe as I'm going to be."

Hannibal smiled.

Still jobless and receiving subtle encouragements to remain that way, if only for his improving mental health, Will sat at the dining room table with two fingers of whisky and a bottle of something far better quality then he was accustomed to, pouring over notes and images littering the table. "I need inside his head." Looking at gruesome photos and reading an autopsy report just weren't enough, not even the blood-stained room told him what he really needed to know. "This isn't going to do it; I need to experience it _before_ they touchit." And Jack knew it. What he was asking for was next to impossible. Will just couldn't emphasize with a picture. There was no life in the layers of ink he stared at.

It was why he'd tried to re-create the murder scene in the first place. But it still wasn't right. There was no body, no blood; he just couldn't feel the love that the Ripper was putting into his gift while attacking the salad bowl and setting silverware.

He needed something _bigger_.

Abandoning the mess of papers and pictures on the table, Will went in search of his laptop; he'd followed Hannibal into one of his sittings rooms about a week ago with the device in hand and hadn't found his way back since. The house, as far as Will was concerned, was too damn big; he found himself getting lost almost every time he explored a room or hall off his normal route. Giving up on the laptop after a little more than half an hour of searching, he settled on using Hannibal's tablet, thankfully kept in his, their, bedroom on the bedside table.

With any luck this exercise would actually bring Will a little closer to understand the Ripper, he typed in the search bar: _Pig Farmers of Baltimore_.

It was another late night for Hannibal, though not for any social obligations. He`d called Will ahead of time, letting his mate know that he would be running behind with some work he had not planning for before heading out to leave his mate another gift wrapped in blood. Normally Hannibal might have waited a week or two between his kills, but after seeing Will try so desperately to replicate his appetizer, bringing his table so close to the murder scene, crawling as deep into Hannibal`s heart as possible with what little he had available to him, imagining himself elbow deep in the slaughter.

He simply had to reward him for his efforts.

Entering his home to yet another surprise, Hannibal could hardly conceal his perplexity, pleased that at least Will hadn`t been anywhere near the entrance to see him taken aback, Hannibal moved with a slow, curious caution. The air was thick with the heavy copper taste of blood; it was all he could smell. The deeper he moved into his home the stronger the odor became, it wasn't Will's he recognized with ease, but something else.

Passing through his kitchen he noted that one of his larger knives was missing, a glance at the china cabinet showed that the same flatware as the previous night had also been taken. Noting the pattern, Hannibal checked his fridge, the remaining salad ingredients also gone, along with the half bottle of Perrier.

"Again Will?" He smiled, following his nose to the basement door, scenting the air as he moved with silent feet down the steps, "Pigs blood?"

He stopped midway down, watching Will's back as he pulled armfuls of intestines out of the carcass, pushing them into a bowl without really knowing what he was doing; blood soaked his shirt and jeans as he struggled to gut the beast before him, Hannibal could see the red that speckled the side of his face and neck as he worked. He didn't doubt that the same blood smeared his glasses and tangled his curls; blue eyes radiant with madness as he lost himself in Hannibal.

Michelangelo himself could not have created something so beautiful if presented with ten extra lifetimes.

Shrugging off his jacket and suit vest he came behind him, startling his mate as he took the blade and hand to guide them along the raw flesh, freeing the tendons and ligaments that Will was struggling with to pull meat free with greater ease. "You are desperate Will."

"Why would you say that?" he stuttered, embarrassed to have been caught gutting a two-hundred pound pig in the basement, a fold out table set behind him with fine china, silverware and bubbling glasses of tonic.

"You spent well over twelve-hundred dollars for this Berkshire pig, all in the name of catching the Ripper." Removing the last of the offal Hannibal turned his lover around, the blood had indeed sprayed across his face when he'd opened her with amateur skill; little red beads shimmering like scattered garnets over flushed skin.

Running a rough thumb over a few of those little stones, Hannibal smeared the thick liquid over his cheek like a ragdolls blush. He was beautiful, beautiful enough that Hannibal feared he would not be able to capture such radiance in his future drawings.

Will turned into that touch, letting the warmth of human skin seep in through the darkness that froze him from the inside out, letting the affection of his mate cut through the cold love of the killer he was at last understanding.

It was fierce, violent, passionate and only for him.

Will was feeling his fervor for him, the hunger that the Chesapeake Ripper felt only for him. He was flooded by his love and it scared him. "I need to do this." He choked on the words, lost in two worlds as he tried to keep his place in the making of his kill and tried to anchor himself with Hannibal's touch.

It was an anchor lost at sea, Hannibal offering him an affectionate smile before gently turning him to face his work again. "Let me know when you are finished Will, I will help you clean up." This slaughter was Will's proverbial gateway drug and he was not about to stop his mate from crossing the threshold into madness.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors Notes: A little relationship development and some cute fluffy stuff with sex and plot. Enjoy that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

10: Unraveling

_You know me; see me often as I am close to you._ Will sat in silence, bathed in blood, at the large fold out table in the middle of the basement.

_I have a medical background as evidence by my work, by my art._ His breaths were slow and shallow as he stood lost in the shadows of his mind.

_I have been to your house, met your dogs; know that they are where your heart lies._ He stared at the salad bowl of flesh and bone, trapped in the mind of the Ripper, as the Ripper.

_I know the secret of your gender, know that you are no longer working for the FBI, know that you are still tracking my cases and receiving my gifts._

_I have asked you to dinner, professing my love with the art I leave for you and you alone; a love you have accepted with open arms._

_You know me William, what is my name…_

"Will," he corrected, blinking from his trance and speaking to the floral eyes of a pig. He didn't remember doing that though, pulling the eyes from her corpse and replacing them with carnations.

He didn't remember buying carnations.

"God, how long have I been down here." He lifted his glasses, rubbing at tired eyes and instantly wished that he hadn't. He was covered in blood.

Glancing to the red face of his watch Will couldn't help but cringe, it was entering the early hours of morning, he must have spent the entire night just staring at the pig and thinking about the Ripper, as the Ripper.

But he'd never been so close, never been so intimate with a killer as he had been that night. Will had so nearly become him, if only for those few hours, not just imagining but participating in gutting that woman, preparing her into something more useful than the pig she was, turning her into a beautiful courting gift for his Omega.

What was worse was how much he'd enjoyed it, killing the bitch who'd refused to work with him because he was beneath her, justan _Omega_.

"The Ripper enjoyed it." Will scolded himself, swallowing back the sour of bile on his tongue. "Don't get confused," He warned himself, "You're too close to lose yourself by getting confused." So close the name nearly sat on his tongue.

If he could do it again he might finally find his answer, if he did it again Will wasn't so sure he would be able to come back. It had been a very dark and consuming place inside those walls. And he'd never felt so safe in all his life; the all-consuming fear that haunted him day and night couldn't control him when he was the one with the knife.

"I need to see Hannibal." Will realized, turning his back on the gruesome display and making for the stairs; the pull of denim sticky with drying blood on his thighs quickly reminded him of the pristine condition of Hannibal's house and how he was about to ruin everything the man owned with pig's blood.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs he stripped himself of the stained clothing and walked up the stairs, "Please be in bed." Will prayed, easing open the door and taking quick glances in either direction before briskly moving toward the nearest door and what he hoped was another bathroom. Checking again that Hannibal wasn't coming down the hall he opened the door and peered inside.

On a bright note, he had found his laptop, on the downside Hannibal had stayed awake waiting for him and was looking questioningly at the naked, blood-drenched Will leaving red fingerprints on his door. "Uh, bathroom," he tried to explain, knowing he would have to ask for a map after this.

"Next door to your left," Hannibal answered calmly returning to his sketch to give the naked man some privacy as he hurried to the next door and disappeared with the sound of it's close. Smiling at the half-complete sketch beneath his fingers, Hannibal wondered if Will would take insult to the touch of madness he'd added to his eyes, the cool intensity of control and violent derangement, or if perhaps he would hold more distrainment towards being drawn sprayed with blood and his hands buried in the body of his lovely realtor. With the hints he'd been leaving behind, Hannibal didn't expect his beloved to take much longer discovering who he was and then he would have his answer when he framed the sketch in his favorite sitting room.

Rising, Hannibal left the piece to be completed at a later date.

When Will came out of the shower nearly an hour later, his skin red and raw from the vigorous scrubbing, he found a set of blue satin pajamas folded on the bathroom counter and a note on top asking him to go to bed. "You should know better than that." Will scoffed, pulling on the underwear provided and leaving the soft fabric where it was, he didn't wear satin to bed, didn't wear anything more than his boxer-briefs and cotton undershirt, anything more would only be ruined by night sweats, and after what he'd done that night Will had no illusions of a good night's sleep coming to him, three in the morning or not.

Leaving the bathroom Will found the blood had been wiped from the door knobs and wood frames he'd touched during his wander; the floor spotless of any tracks he may have brought around the house. Feeling guilt swell at the thought of Hannibal in the basement cleaning up his mess, Will opened the door to the overwhelming scent of bleach. Coming down the stairs he saw the carcass gone along with the table and entrails, Hannibal pouring the pink contents of a bucket down a large double sink he had failed to take notice of, he could have scrubbed most of the blood off there before going up stairs if his mind hadn't been so muddled. Instead he'd made a bread crumb trail of blood through Hannibal's house and the Alpha had cleaned it up before he'd had the chance. "I was going to do that." Will ventured, still watching him from the stairs.

Hannibal smiled, glancing back at his mate, his floor would need another wash before he would be satisfied, but it was clean enough to let the Doctor sleep. "And I would have let you if this was not a murder scene of your own making." Because Will would have cleaned every ounce of the blood seeing it as the woman's he'd so feverously killed, not as the pig's that it had come from; something that Hannibal would have let his mate indulge in if he did not have certain appearances to maintain for the time being.

"I didn't mean for you to clean up after me, not last night, not tonight." Will frowned, disappointed in himself for having been such a poor mate to the Alpha who obviously cared for him. He'd been only tolerable to Hannibal since his order to sell; something that Will had to admit had been made in his best interest, even if he hadn't been impressed with his way of enforcing it.

"Due to the circumstances, it is fine, though I would request that you clean up after your own activities from now on, and refrain from bringing home livestock." With a hand on the small of his back Hannibal led Will up to their bedroom, finding himself rather pleased with the notion of having the Omega warm his bed again, it was worth every ounce of blood he'd wiped from the floor. "Where are the pajamas I had laid out for you?" He changed topic.

Will gave him a look, "I already ruin your sheets." He stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "As it is I think I should be sleeping on towels." In fact he had done just that on a number of nights when sleeping in the guestroom.

Though the idea of having Will wrapped in soft ocean blue satin was a tantalizing thought, he could not complain if the man was determined to sleep all but naked. "I enjoy the thought of you wrapped in silk and satin, it is a very pleasant fabric to have against one's skin." He left him in the bedroom disappearing into the ensuite. "You've certainly enjoyed it's feel more than once."

"Are you flirting with me Doctor?" Will called as the door closed, the sound of water running was his answer.

Never one for socializing, Will could count the number of times he had been flirted with on his fingers, and three of those instances now belonged to the Chesapeake Ripper; but it was a nice feeling, especially after having the Alpha take care of him the last two nights, even if only in sending him to bed while he handled the make shift crime scenes. But it was enough to make Will feel like an ass for boycotting their room for so long, pissed as he'd been.

Pulling the blankets back and folding them across the end of the bed to reveal soft silk sheets of crimson red, Will discarded his underwear and waited for Hannibal.

Ten minutes later the Alpha emerged, hair only slightly damp from being toweled, but otherwise dry and dressed for bed. "I was not expecting this kind of reaction to the flirtation." Hannibal said, unbuttoning his night shirt as he approached the grand bed, eyes drinking in the sight before him, Will laid out across the crimson sheets, his cock in hand making gentle slow strokes, his skin becoming flush with arousal as he awaited his Alpha.

"It's been a while since we've flirted." He smiled at the toned stomach, always amazed at how much hard muscle was hidden beneath the Doctors waist coat. "It's a thank you," He said, watching as Hannibal paused in his undress, "It's because I want to, not because I feel I owe you." He corrected, "I'm not a whore."

_Rude when scared, rude when nervous, both a brand a fear_, Hannibal mused, resuming his task. "No, I would never think that of you." He confirmed, "I simply do not want you feeling as though this is an obligation, if we are to make love it must be something you want."

Releasing himself he reached up, taking Hannibal by the waist and pulling him down on top him, "I want to." He confirmed, leaning forward to capture him in a kiss, his arms wrapping around the Alpha's shoulders to hold him against him as their erections brushed, bringing a quiet moan to Will's lips with the friction.

"I've missed your company," Hannibal spoke against satin lips, his hands skimming the heated flesh of his flanks, finding their way around the small of his back to hold the Omega closer against him. "Our bed has been lonely without you."

"Liar," Will smiled, nipping his lip as they kissed, "_Our_ bed could never miss someone who sweats lakes and wakes the house screaming."

Hannibal buried his nose in soft chocolate curls, taking in the scent of everything that was Will, "I have missed your company, the shouting only bothers me when I am not there to help you settle your fears afterword."

Will frowned, looking at strong shoulders and old scars, his fingers tracing along some of the fine lines and his mind wondering what Hannibal might have done to acquire such scars, "Why do you care so much? The whole bonding experience had been a mistake on both our parts. You don't have to fake anything for me," It was the first time he'd ever witnessed true displeasure cross those usually careful features.

"I would never disrespect you by pretending to have any feelings for you that I do not hold. What happened between us in Wolf Trap can be explained as nothing short of a 'happy accident', I would have been forced to refer you to another psychiatrist had it not occurred." He forced Will to meet his eyes, letting the edges of anger flicker across maroon.

It took the empath a minute to process what he was saying, not because he couldn't read it in his face and in his eyes, but because he couldn't believe what this man was saying. "You liked me before?"

"It was part of what made your scent so irresistible to me Will, I have held an interest in you for some time now, it was something I knew sooner or later would ruin our doctor/patient relationship and need to be addressed." He captured his lips in a feathery kiss, "I understand that you have been rejected before, but know that there is nothing forced on my part, this is exactly what I want."

"I'm broken Hannibal, bad goods, you could do a lot better than me."

"I don't want better Will; I want you, and everything that comes with it."

The next kiss was passionate, Will throwing his arms around the other man's shoulders and holding him close. This man loved him, wanted him exactly as he was with nothing fixed or changed, it was something Will knew he would never find again.

Spreading his legs to better accommodate his lover, Will wrapped the long appendages around the Alpha's waist, locking his ankles at the low of his back; he could feel the head of an erection pushing against the cleft of his ass and he wanted it inside him. Arching himself into the kiss and the touch, he rocked against the swollen head, letting his demands be known without lifting his lips from the fevered kiss.

Feeling his lover's growing arousal, Hannibal complied, slowly pushing himself into the sex so not to hurt his eager lover, the entrance tight from lack of stretching and wet with slick.

"Let me know when you have adjusted," Hannibal whispered over soft moans that parted lips.

"I want to feel you, I don't want to adjust," Will said, pushing down onto the heavy flesh stretching his insides. He felt full with the thick member inside him and he didn't want any of that feeling to fade away with relaxed muscles and well-prepared flesh; he wanted to feel as much of the man who loved him as possible.

Trailing nips and kisses from his stubbled jaw to the crook of his neck as he set an easy pace, taking his time pleasuring the pliable man beneath him.

Will moaned his name, arching to meet each leisurely thrust of his Alpha, leaning back into the pillow as waves of pleasure coursed through him, feeding the fire in his belly with each movement, but it wasn't enough, would never be enough, short of crawling inside the flesh of the man on top of him Will would never be as close as he needed to be right then.

Powerful hands held him close to the alpha's body, one arm looped beneath his lower back to control the pace and the other supporting his head bringing him up to meet kisses when they trailed the length of his throat back to his lips.

"I love you, Will," He murmured, accent made heavy with arousal. "I will always love you." He whispered warm against his ear, listening to the catching breaths of his Omega as the confession brought him closer to his edge, pushing a hand between them he captured Will's member, running the pad of his thumb over its sensitive tip, smearing beads of pre-cum across its head, making Will give shuttering gasps as the thrusts continued, their pace picking up as the pair came closer to their breaking point. "And nothing will ever take you from me."

Will came, coating their abdomens and his hand with hot fluid, smearing it between them as Hannibal laid himself back across him, looping his arm around him once more and pushed deeper inside, burying his face in the Omega's neck to lose himself in his scent as he focused on his own pleasure now that his mate had been sated.

Gripping his Alpha with feelings of want that had not been so strong before, he moaned his name again as he felt the warm heat empty inside him, the Alpha stilling as he spilled his load deep within.

They remained that way for several minutes, enjoying the feel of skin to skin and spent between them, their breaths slowing to normal.

Splaying his fingers through ashen hair Will silently stared about the room, loving the lazy kisses that continued to grace his neck, Hannibal seemingly content to remain nuzzled up against his throat for the time being as he analysed the room he'd avoided for nearly a month.

A few things had changed since he's last slept in Hannibal's arms and his fingers stilled when he caught sight of one of them, something not quite right within their room; a vase sitting on the bedside table that would have been his.

It was filled with roses, dahlias, carnations, and baby's breath.


	11. Chapter 11

Authors Notes: I'm probably a terrible human being for enjoying writing this story, but I love it, it's my baby.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

11: Bound To The Ripper

Will hadn't slept despite the late hour of their bedding; his mind refusing to let him rest as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. The Chesapeake Ripper had wanted to take him on as his mate and unfortunately for will he already had. He'd misread the message that had been laid for him in Wolf Trap, the Ripper had not been offering him his love, he'd been informing Will he'd already stolen _his_. The ring of bits around the victims neck, not a warning of things to come, but a show of what had already passed, it was a doll of Will offering _his_ heart to Hannibal; he'd forced Will to give him this.

The bits that encompassed his throat suddenly felt very much like the collar they represented, every bit as confining as if he were attached to a chain, because he was, a bond could never be broken. Will could run to the other side of the world and he would always feel drawn back to the Hannibal, miss him until he felt the warmth of his skin pressed against his own. His life for now and forever would be tethered to the Chesapeake Ripper.

What he had to think about now, with the feeling of Hannibal wrapped around him, keeping Will tucked against his toned body safe and protected, was what the fuck he was supposed to do about it.

He stared at the flowers displayed so lovingly on his nightstand, they were fresh; if Will had to guess he would say that the water had been changed daily and the blossoms replaced weekly, kept in perfect full bloom for Will's discovery.

Which made Will wonder exactly how long Hannibal had been waiting for his discovery and what he was expecting Will to say when he figured it out.

Searching the information stored in his mind, Will tried to find something that wouldn't match the Ripper to his Alpha, but the pieces all fit too perfectly to be anything else; his mind would not allow Will to fool himself anymore.

The Ripper had a background in medicine, his knowledge of the human body displayed in his surgical ability to remove organs; Hannibal also had an acute knowledge of medicine, one that he seemed to have maintained overtime with his library of books.

Then there was his _art_ to consider, the Ripper didn't just display his pieces in a public shaming of bodies left for collection, they were works of art to the Ripper, each one exhibited in a specific show of his creativity. Hannibal liked to sketch, was brilliant with his work, pieces that should have been placed in museums for their artistry and accuracy, works taken directly from his memory. If Will wasn't dead when all was said and done it might actually be worth Will's while to ask about some of Hannibal's more secret sketches, because he was sure that the man had a number of secrets hidden in his closet, possibly even some morbid ones of Will.

He moved on, Hannibal had also been the only one to know about Will's problems regarding the realtor, something his Alpha had to force from him after dealing with Will's sour mood for a number of days. Considering Will's resentment toward his Alpha after that, it made sense he would use the woman in one of his affectionate displays, she'd caused both of them enough grief to warrant the Rippers wrath.

But even if Will tried to fool himself that the Chesapeake Ripper was someone else, someone close who might have been speaking with both him and Hannibal, gathering information between the two and spying for the rest, he couldn't dismiss the flowers that sat so delicately upon his nightstand.

With each matching piece sliding into the complicated puzzle that was his mate and the killer Will felt his heart sink, not because he was the Ripper, but because of what he knew he had to do…the real question was, could he do it?

Rousing his lover as he pulled away Will was the first up and out of bed for a change, walking to the shower. Normally he would have hobbled out to the kitchen and started on the coffee Hannibal would have ready and waiting for him, the Alpha up to do a series of aerobics and readying himself for the day hours before Will would consider opening his eyes. But with the lack of sleep, being none at all, he'd beaten him to the shower.

"Will?" came the questioning voice behind him as he disappeared into the washroom, most likely finding concern in his lover being up after only three hours. Will didn't answer, he couldn't.

Locking the door behind him Will turned on the water and sat in the shower, letting ice run over his skin as he tried to clear his mind, hand tracing the scar that bound him to the only man who's ever wanted him and the Chesapeake Ripper.

It was nearly an hour before will came venturing downstairs for breakfast, he wasn't surprised to find Hannibal already in his kitchen, showered and dressed for the day in a pair of slacks and white shirt, his chef's apron tied snugly about his waist.

Casting a glance to the cardigan folded neatly over the back of a chair while he cooked, Will frowned. "That's your casual wear." He said.

Hannibal glanced up from the Quiche he was preparing, filling a pie shell he'd readied the night before with a mixture of spinach, portobello mushrooms, parmesan and egg he had just finished blending. "Yes, I will not be going in to work today." He announced, sliding their breakfast into the oven.

"Why?" Will frowned, he needed time to think and be alone, not be overwhelmed by the information and the man it regarded.

Washing his hands and removing his apron Hannibal set a timer and guided Will out toward their main sitting room. "Because you are distressed."

Which meant he knew; Hannibal could tell that Will had figured it out and he wasn't going to leave him alone to decide for himself what he wanted to do with this information in case he made the 'wrong' decision. His mouth was suddenly feeling very dry, "I'm not distressed." He challenged.

Taking a seat on the sofa Hannibal waiting for Will to sit before continuing, after a moment Will complied, sitting next to the Alpha and letting the older man drape an arm around him, holding him close. "You mutilated a sow in the basement and re-created that murder scene twice. You are not acting very stable at the moment. I am worried about you Will, I am going to take care of you until you calm down."

Hannibal was a doctor, he was a therapist and he was an elusive killer. Will did not doubt that he was playing dumb about Will's knowing. He'd planted the flowers for him to find and had been leaving clues at his crime scenes he'd never left for Will before. He wanted him to know and he wanted Will to approach him on it.

Hannibal wasn't an idiot and he knew Will wasn't one either. Reaching into his pocket, Will retrieved the braid of blue and green silk ribbon he'd been carrying around since burning down his house. He felt Hannibal tense as he pulled it from his pocket, if only for half a second and only with the slightest of movement along the muscle of his arm, he hadn't known Will had kept a piece for himself. "When you say you're going to take care of me-" he was cut off by a curt knock at the door, both men looking up in the direction of the inconvenient sound, rising to answer the door Hannibal was tempted to push them into a freezer for disturbing such a delicate moment between him and Will.

"Jack, what a pleasant surprise," the notion of a freezer was becoming increasingly tempting, "Please come in, what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Will watched from the kitchen entrance as the detective came into their home.

"Morning Dr. Lecter, Will," his attention turned pointedly at Will, "I was just bringing by some photo's for Will to look at," he admitted as Hannibal hung his coat, because he knew better then to lie to Hannibal's face in his house regarding something to do with his mate.

"Really?" The doctor led him through the kitchen and to his dining room, arranging a third place setting now that Jack had joined them. "I thought that Will had been dismissed from your services." He gave a look to the other Alpha in the room, one minute expression of displeasure that crossed through his eyes at the idea of his Omega being used, and more importantly, Jack trying to hide it from him by coming around when he should not have been home.

Realizing that some ground had been overstepped he took the seat offered and handed Hannibal, instead of Will, the folder. He would need to win over Hannibal if he wanted to gain access to the empath. "It's regarding the Ripper Hannibal, I can't track him, I need Will."

"Then you shouldn't have fired me." Will stepped in for himself, coming beside Hannibal to look at the pictures and documents over his shoulder. His eyes danced along the pile of glossy photos before finally selecting a full-body picture from the pile, he examined the corpse. It must have been what Hannibal had been doing while out late the night before he realized.

"Will," Jack fought to hold his tongue, "I need to know if you found anything from what I left you the other day, and I need to know if you can find anything from this."

Before Will could offer any answer Hannibal stepped in again. "I am sorry Jack, but I do not approve of you coming by my home and seeking out my Omega while I am away at work." There was an edge of warning to his voice, one that wasn't a part of his person suit. "You gave Will a folder two days ago while I was away and now you have come by again shortly after I should have left."

"Dr. Lecter, you have every right to be upset, but Will said he would help and I need him to do this. No one else can think the way he can, I need to borrow Will's mind." He stood to meet Hannibal, refusing to allow another Alpha to dominate him.

Will ignored both as he took in the body from the photo, it was a man this time, late twenties, he had been torn apart the same as the others, an assortment of flowers replacing his identity, his cavity emptied to hold a circle of candles that had burned out to nothing during the night.

The table was once again set with fine china and good silverware, crystal glasses holding what could either be wine or blood, on either plate a beautiful piece of meat was displayed with garden vegetables and a sauce Will was sure had to be some kind of red wine reduction. He showed the photo to Hannibal, pointing to the meat serving, "What did he make me?" _What did you make me?_

"It is filet mignon, though I believe your killer may have used the man on the table instead of beef tenderloin." Hannibal offered in answer, watching as Will's face paled with new realization. Hannibal did not take offense as he watched Will dash to a bathroom.

He frowned towards Jack. "My mate has been suffering great distress since you left him your last folder," He handed the newest one back. "He will not be taking any more cases and he will not be completing this one; you will have to find another profiler." Hannibal said with finality, following Will in the direction of the main floor bathroom. At least he hoped it was the bathroom, he would not be amused if Will had lost his way and turned into the study again.

Pleased to find his mate had made it to the washroom, Hannibal laid a hand between his shoulders, rubbing gently to soothe his Omega as he tried to cope. "You've been feeding me people." He choked, gagging up another mouthful of vomit. Of course he'd been feeding him people; Will had mentioned before that the organs wrapped in tissue paper had been the Ripper offering him all the best parts. His mind had muted the reminder when he'd realized who he was bound to, because he wasn't ready to cope with that yet.

"Hush Will, you have never complained about my cooking before." The voice, the touch, they were meant to be soothing. Will didn't know what they made him feel.

"I didn't know you were feeding me people before." He fired back, voice falling quiet as Jack appeared around the door.

He took in the sight of Will and Hannibal, a sick Omega with his comforting Alpha's hand on his back. "Will, I need you to look at this for me; no one else is going to be able to break this. I need to find the Ripper."

Hannibal rose from his hunched over mate, taking slow calculated steps toward the FBI's behavioural department's head. "I told you he will not be taking on any more cases Jack. His mental state can no longer handle it. Now please, get out of my house."

"Are you blind?" He yelled at the doctor, "There are people dying! For Will! Do you think he wants to live with that hanging over his head for the rest of his life? I need him to catch this killer, because he's not going to rest until he has Will strung up in one of these poses served like steak on a silver platter."

Will looked to Hannibal, the Alpha was seething. "You come into my home to bully my mate into working for you for nothing? After you stripped him of his job and his dignity? Get out Jack, and do not come back." The lion in the room was done playing, Will could recognise this as the last warning that it was.

He looked past Hannibal to the Omega dragging himself from the floor. "Why are you looking at me Jack? You fired me. You outted me to the world." He turned on the faucet, splashing his face with cool water; it did nothing to help him.

"Fine," He dropped the folder to the floor, letting its pictures and documents scatter across the bathroom, his eyes remaining on Will. "But before I go, did you find anything from those pictures regarding the Ripper?"

Will turned to Jack, water dripping down his face. "What do you think?"

Jack took his leave after that, the folder of Hannibal's work left in the killer's hands. "You've protected me twice now Will, what was your reasoning this time?" He looked to his mate, face still pale as he watched the quiche bake by the ovens light.

"I'm not eating that." Will frowns, turning his attention to the fridge in search of something a little less human for breakfast.

"You also seem rather at peace about all of this," Hannibal pulled their breakfast from the oven with the sound of the timer, smacking Will's hand as he reached for some grapes instead.

"I just said I'm not eating that Hannibal. And I didn't out you because I'm your fucking mate. We're bound, if you get taken away to prison I'll go completely insane, same reason why I couldn't let you take the fall for our 'mishap' in the first place. Not much of a mistake though was it? You did it on purpose." He eyed the quiche, trying to decipher everything baked inside. He didn't want to eat people, at least not yet.


	12. Chapter 12

Authors Notes: Did somebody order angst?

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

12: Alone

Despite Hannibal's best efforts Will did not eat breakfast or anything else that day, the Omega reluctantly accepting water and coffee from his concerned mate as he shuffled though photos and news articles of Hannibal's killings. He really was lost at sea, floundering in a storm with no hope in sight of land or safety.

"Will, I want you to eat something; you are far too skinny to be starving yourself." The Alpha requested, sitting on the arm of his sofa and combing his fingers through a mess of curly hair. "I could make you something containing no meat if you'd like; oatmeal or a plain omelette perhaps." He honestly didn't believe it was the food that was bothering Will so much as the idea of being bound to the Ripper he'd been driven half-mad chasing. It was a truth he needed to adjust to.

Will leaned into the comforting warmth of his Alpha, it was soothing despite being the root of his problem, feeling the reassuring presence of his bonded partner trying to care for him. "Not right now," he refused again, taking in the heady scent that always seemed to make him just a little light headed, "maybe later." He was hungry, Will couldn't deny it, but he also felt sick. There was a weight on his shoulders now that he wasn't sure he could bear, and a splintering knowledge of having consumed his own that he could all but feel the edges of his mind beginning to fracture from.

Taking a moment to consider himself, Hannibal took a proper seat next to his empath, pulling Will into him. He wrapped an arm around the other man as he stared almost vacantly at the arrangement of pictures layered across his lap. "You know," he began, and there was almost a sense of uncharacteristic caution to his accented words, the unusuality enough to pull a light of conscious thought back to Will's eyes and turn his attention to his mate, "there is more to who I am than what can be found in these pictures." He began, still playing with loose curls.

"There's always a story," Will scoffed, a sarcastic smile pulling at his lips as he pushed the pictures back into their folder and onto the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at the glossy photos anymore; there was nothing left for him to learn from them, just a sense of pity for the people who had been transformed into dinner.

Will leaned further into his Alpha, closing his eyes to scent him again and lose himself for a moment in the safety it seemed to always bring; letting his mind drift away from the darkness and into the comfort of his mate. Whether he approved of Hannibal's chosen hobby or not, Will knew he would never betray him. Even if he hadn't been bound to the man it would have been a close thing, Hannibal was his rock; he kept him safe, sane and for the most part kept his nightmares at bay. Will honestly wasn't sure how long he would last in a world without the doctor around to ground him.

Lips pressed light to Will's forehead as he was pulled further into the doctor, tugged closer until he sat on the other man's lap, cradled in his arms with his head on his shoulder. "True," Hannibal conceded, "however, the only one you care to hear is mine. It is the one relevant to you."

Will did not deny his mate the chance to explain himself, meeting the man's bloody eyes with stormy blue. It was a silent promise to give himself completely to the empathy he resented so wholly and try to understand; the greatest gift that Will could ever offer and one the Alpha recognized the magnitude of.

Listening to the rumble of Hannibal's voice Will fell into the dark story as it began; losing himself to the happy beginning of family and love before feeling a part of him die in dark vengeance and black endings.

Hannibal had known love, he had known what he felt for Mischa, his sister and for his family when he was young and full of life; he also knew pain, having watched those he cared for be taken from him one by one, the pieces of his soul being chipped away like ice as he witnessed his parents end and failed his younger sister, unable to defend her as he watched those men drag her away to the slaughter like cattle; it whittling the young boy down until only the barest deformed shadow of humanity remained. He'd fought to regain the pieces of himself for years after that, taking back what he could of what had been stolen with the flesh of the men responsible for it.

But in the end, even that had been taken, the last of his humanity obliterated with the poison words of a dead man, "You ate her too," Will could feel him dying inside, the last of his sanity shattering as the poison of madness took hold.

"No, you're lying!" He'd tried to deny it, needed it to be wrong, to be a lie, because to know he had consumed his precious Mischa would be too much for him to bear.

"Barely conscious," The man had gasped with pain soaked breaths, "your greedy lips sucked and chewed her flesh to survive, just like the rest of us."

Those words had ended Hannibal Lecter the man, the last of his soul lost to the devil along with all his humanity, what he was now was what he needed to be to survive.

"You wanted me as your mate since you met me," Will observed, stormy eyes still locked with sanguine ones; with all his secrets laid upon the table it was the first time Will found himself able to look and not turn away.

"Not since we met," He corrected, "But shortly after, your being a Beta did not matter to me."

"Because you knew I was the only person who could catch you," he leaned into Hannibal silencing his retort with a chaste kiss, "and the only one who will ever understand you."

A smile pulled at Hannibal, a real one mixed with a kindness he hadn't thought himself capable of anymore, "Yes," He confirmed, leaning in to steal another kiss. "I never thought I would know love again, but I have found something close to that with you Will, perhaps the closest I will ever come again."

Will kissed him, letting his eyes fall away at last, "I suffer from my empathy Hannibal, I can't help but understand you." He pulled away, getting up from the killers lap. "But that doesn't mean that I'll accept you."

Something twisted in his chest as Will spoke those words, a tearing pain he hadn't felt in years, not since Mischa and it didn't just sting like the dull ache he had come to associate with the memory of his sister, it throbbed, raw and fresh like an open wound. "Are you rejecting me?" He asked, pulling his mask securely in place, a fortress of walls coming up between them as his tone changed to something smooth and emotionless. He would not let Will see his pain.

"I don't know," Was the honest answer he hadn't wanted to hear, "I need time."

Will left after that and Hannibal let him, listening to the sound of the old beater he preferred to keep hidden in the garage starting up and driving away, another piece of the Alpha leaving with it.

For a man who enjoyed his solitude, he never felt more alone.


	13. Chapter 13

Authors Notes: That's the end of the story people, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. C:

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

Beta read by: Spocktacular!

13: New Ripper

Two days had passed since Will's departure, leaving Hannibal to consider the emptiness festering inside him like an open wound. He felt like meat left to rot, as though his chest was brimming with maggots trying to fill the void left by his mate only to be made larger by their feeding, hollowing him further with every hour the rejection became clearer.

Sleep had evaded him the past two nights, the Alpha finding himself unable to rest while awaiting the return of his mate. They were bound, whether Will accepted him or not he would eventually return; dragged by his instincts back to him.

But then Will was a stubborn man, it was part of what Hannibal found so appealing about him and what could keep him a number of weeks before he finally succumbed to his biology.

Wondering the empty halls of his vast home on silent feet, Hannibal nursed a drink of cheap whiskey, the subpar alcohol a distinct contrast to the crystal that cradled it. Despite Hannibal supplying his mate with superior liquor, Will always seemed to bring home a bottle of the cheap booze he'd become so accustomed to.

It burned its way down his throat feeling almost comforting as it made his nose sting with each drink. Tilting back the glass and draining its contents in one swallow he considered the fragile piece of crystal in hand. It was beautiful, wafer thin along its sides with a thick base decorated in diamond cuts to catch the light and make it shine; "So very fragile," he mused, turning the piece to catch a few strays of warm early morning light, making it look pink and gold as he watched it glow. "How many have described you with such an adjective my beloved?"

Lifting the tumbler to his eyes he watched closely as the dancing colors glittered like fire before bringing it down on the counter with a quiet violence to shatter its thick base, letting splinters of glass scatter the floor. "Does that mean that you will follow the fate of this whisky glass?" He wondered aloud, "Will your mind shatter with this truth?" he crouched to the floor, lifting a shard to his lips, licking it's razor edge to let the copper taste of blood pool at the muscles tip, running along the jagged smile of the glass to his fingers. "Or will you become what you were always meant to be?"

Raising his head at the sound of the door, he dropped the small colored shard into the sink, abandoning the mess in his kitchen with the promise of return.

Answering the door Hannibal found himself wishing he had remained in his kitchen. "Jack Crawford." His tone was dry, not feeling especially tolerable toward the FBI agent. He was sincerely debating the possibility of closing the door despite its rudeness. "I thought I had made myself clear during our last encounter that you are no longer welcome in my home."

"Please Dr. Lecter, I understand that I cannot keep asking for Will. I would like to request your assistance in this matter instead." As the door began to swing shut Jack caught its wooden lip, stopping Hannibal's rejection to his plea. "It's the Ripper Hannibal, I need help. I can't catch him on my own."

He paused, honest surprise taking him at the mention of his other name, "The Ripper?" he hadn't been out, not since the filet mignon, not since Will had left him. "Show me."

It was beautiful.

A pool of blood puddled the old barn floor, centered beneath the hanging corpse of the farmer who'd lived there. It had congealed into a sticky mess of loose straw, dying life, and organs.

The body of the farmer had been found by his wife, suspended from the rafters with lengths of fine fishing wire. It was as though a spider's web had been strung, the lines twisting to hold him like a fly trapped in its middle with no escape, an assortment of cruel hooks ranging from fine fishing lures to thick stainless steel hangers found in butchers shops pulled at chunks of his meaty flesh to keep him midair.

Hannibal could hardly contain himself as he approached the victim, noting with delight that this body, much like it's predecessors, had been stripped of its identity. The scalp and face torn brutally from its perch over bone, replaced with bright fragrant daises found wild in the farmers yard; the same cheery white blossoms filled his eye sockets to stare back with bright yellow pupils. His mouth left bulging with the wild blooms.

However, unlike the bodies before it, the farmer had suffered the complete removal of his hands, feet and gender; the appendages replaced with thick branches like a meaty snow man, the fleshy pieces nowhere to be seen within the barn.

His belly hung open, having followed the same fate as the appetizer and entree: split and hollowed into a bowl. With his viscera piled beneath him the cavity had been filled with several liters of instant pudding, the thick swirls of pink and red within it leaving everyone to wonder between strawberry and vanilla tinted by blood.

Then there was his throat. More important than any other detail was the fine braid of blue and green silk ribbon that hung around his neck.

The ribbon Will had pulled from his pocket.

"Do you see something Dr. Lecter?" Jack prompted, coming to stand next to the Alpha as he analysed the latest kill.

"This is the Ripper," He confirmed, stopping himself from reaching out to touch the ribbon. "It is also the last time that he will kill in this way."

Jack looked between the body and the doctor, trying to find the signs that Hannibal had noticed with such ease within the carnage. "Are you telling me the Ripper finally got to Will?"

Turning, Hannibal hid his glass cut smile as he made his way back to the Bentley, "No Jack, I'm telling you he has served dessert. Dinner is over."

Finding the door to his home unlocked, Hannibal entered with silent haste. Throwing his jacket over the back of a chair in passing, he moved in quiet pursuit of his intruder, following the sounds of running water to the main floor bathroom where he could do nothing more than stand still, watching as his mate rinsed the last of the farmers lingering blood down the drain and dried his hands.

Without looking up Will addressed the man, hands still busy wiping the last of the moisture away. "How the hell do you keep clean."

"Practice," Hannibal answered, closing the distance between them to pull the empath into his arms with a crushing embrace, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss and penetrating his mouth with a probing tongue.

Will had returned to him, accepting him in his entirety; it strengthened their bond in a way most mates would never come to know. "You came back." He mouthed against chapped lips, panting for breath against his Omega.

"And I'll never leave again." Will promised, pulling him into another kiss.


End file.
